


Little Guardian

by SoulofHorus



Series: Destiny Stories [9]
Category: Destiny (Video Games)
Genre: Acceptance, Belonging, Canon Divergence - Alternate uses/abilities of Light, Child Risen, F/M, Fluff, Gen, Hits the City Age, Pre-City Age, Psychological Trauma, Sense of Family, Trust Issues, We are in the Dark Ages, self-guilt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-06
Updated: 2019-11-08
Packaged: 2020-10-11 00:10:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 44,341
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20536949
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SoulofHorus/pseuds/SoulofHorus
Summary: The time of the Warlords and Risen is upon the world. Everything on Earth is a complete madhouse, but on Venus, however, a Ghost finds their Chosen. What they didn't expect is how truly young he is.The Ghost scanned their quivering form before realizing howoldthey were. This was merely achild, no older than thirteen, “You’re really young… Traveler almighty, what have I done?”





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I have zero clue if I will continue this at all. this idea was swirling around in my brain for about two weeks. I still have to iron out details if I choose to continue. 
> 
> I don't know how much canon or lore I'm breaking here, and if you feel inclined, then let me know so I can decide if I put the appropriate tags.
> 
> Thank you and enjoy!

_ ‘Come on come on come on!’ _The lone Ghost shouted to itself. They were running, well, floating away from a group of Fallen. They made an unfortunate pass through Fallen territory on Venus. The Fallen, being the territorial beings they are, are currently hunting down the Ghost who dared encroach on their territory.

It did not help that one of the Fallen managed to clip their shell with a stray Arc round. They were pretty sure it was a Dreg who managed to score the hit. The Ghost also had to avoid other Guardians, otherwise known as Warlords.

These Warlords are among the first ‘Risen’, the first ones to receive the Traveler’s blessing, and that was where it went wrong. They became power-hungry and began to kill off any other Risen they came across. This was mostly confined to Earth, not Venus. Most of the Risen were on Earth as most of them died during the Collapse.  
  
The Ghost heard the signature chittering of the Fallen. They were hunting the Ghost. The Ghost didn’t have a lot of places to go to. The cave they were in was a cold, dark, damp, and a rather unpleasant place to be. There was a little crack in the ceiling, but that would mean stopping all momentum and flying up at a slower pace.

_ ‘Better make a move’ _ The Ghost thought to itself. The Ghost flew up and squeezed through the crack and made it outside in the swampy marshlands of Venus. The view was incredible. It looked so pristine. It was very much a sight for sore eyes. The trees that managed to survive the Collapse swayed in the light breeze. The Ghost felt a tingle shoot down their shell. It wasn’t the Fallen, no. It was _ something _ else.

Realization dawned on the Ghost; they found their Chosen. After searching for so long they finally have a _ clue _ as to where they were. Now the hard part, getting them up and finding a place to hide while the Fallen chase them.

No sooner as they started flying forward, a gut-wrenching roar drummed against the Ghost’s audio receptors. The Ghost whirled around to see a couple of Fallen patrols within one hundred meters of the Ghost.

“Oh boy, this is quite the predicament I’ve gotten myself into. Why can’t they just leave me alone?” The Ghost rotated their shell as they flew out of sight, towards their Guardian. Their other half.

Okay, that’s a little cliché, but in the Ghost’s defense, from the feeling other Ghosts had described to them, they made it seem like it was happily ever after. Yet, for some who were captured and tortured by the Warlords, it was not a pleasant experience.

Arc shots whizzed by the Ghost, snapping them out of their trance, “Hey, I did nothing to you aliens. All I did was pass on through looking for my Chosen!” it shouted, dodging shots. Unbeknownst to the Ghost, the Fallen were only after it because they want to see if they would heal their Archon.

This Fallen House has crash-landed on this planet, not knowing the reason for it, but amidst the crash, one of their most trusted Archons was injured covering some of the younger Fallen from the wreck. The little ones made it out fine, but some of the Archon’s ribs were broken, borderline shattered. It takes a lot to break a Fallen’s bones, let alone killing an Archon. They were aiming at the Ghost to ‘subdue’ it.

This Fallen House named themselves House Angel. This is one of the peaceful Fallen Houses, much to the dismay of their race. They have no malicious intentions The Dreg only shot at the Ghost because it was spooked. As most Dregs are.

“Gotta find my Chosen!” The Ghost strained its voice. Oh no. Their power was low, they needed to find a safe place to rest, but with these damn Fallen hovering over them, they really couldn’t do much.

They kept flying to the soul they feel a strong connection to, while also, unfortunately, leading the Fallen to them. The Ghost weaved in and out of the dense forest and low hanging vines, to find an abandoned village. This must be one of those old villages from the Golden Age! The Ghost felt the spark getting stronger. It was that light at the end of the tunnel, the salvation for all Ghosts.

Some of the houses in the village were old, archaic, and some were falling apart as the years of abandonment took its toll. One of the houses, that remained structurally sound, was screaming at the Ghost. “My Chosen is in there, I’m sure of it,” Ghost said aloud.

It hovered into the house as more warnings flashed on Ghost’s systems. They needed to find their Chosen, otherwise, they would be forced into a sleep mode of sorts. One that would take longer to wake up from if they didn’t do it manually.

The spark was flaring and basically calling to the Ghost like an ancient Siren. It felt like the soul was singing lullabies to Ghost. Ghost searched every single room until the final room revealed a bedroom. The old paint on the walls was chipping, scratched, and ripped off the wall. There were posters on the wall, some of them covered in a thousand years’ worth of dust. It looked that way with the amount that was all over the room.

The thing that stood out to the Ghost was the skeleton tucked into a bed, with the sheets having a slice right in the middle. Their chosen died in their sleep. The poor thing. Ghost decided to not leave them there as Light pulsed the Ghost’s core before their shell expanded and the room became a blinding white light.

The Fallen pursuing saw the flash of light thanks to their nocturnal-like eyesight. They are able to pinpoint the exact location of the little machine they were after. They surrounded the house and waited for the machine patiently.

The Ghost sunk onto the sheets after feeling exhausted, that was before they heard a blood-curdling scream from none other than their Chosen. The Ghost’s optic perked up and saw their Risen clawing at their now armored chest. That was when the Ghost realized that they didn’t get the chance to scream in agony when they were killed.

“Relax, my Chosen. Please. I’m here to help you,” Ghost cooed. Their chosen stopped their movements and hid under the covers. Rolling its optic, the Ghost slipped in between the opening in the sheet and looked at their Risen closely.

The Ghost scanned their quivering form before realizing how _ old _ they were. This was merely a _ child, _no older than thirteen, “You’re really young… Traveler almighty, what have I done?” Ghost chastised itself. “Someone like you is too pure for this world.” Ghost hovered in front of their face, noticing the child’s features. They had different color eyes and short straight hair. Ghost found out later that their eyes are the result of Heterochromia. One eye was a deep blue, while the other was a murky brown, with a tinge of light green. “I’m not going to hurt you, but we need to leave. I will explain when I am able. Nod yes if you understand me.”

Their Risen nodded, “Good we need to go, the Fallen are all around us. We need a safe space.” The Ghost scanned their Risen again and transmatted their helmet on them. The Risen let out a small shriek of surprise. Ghost chuckled at their reaction. They would have more time if they weren't in the middle of a village surrounded by Fallen. Ghost’s scans revealed an open window, “Chosen, this way,” Ghost floated to the window, waiting for their Risen to make it out of the destroyed bed.

The Risen didn’t know what was going on. All he knew was that he was killed, and now he’s alive and this floating thing was talking to him and they had something called the ‘Fallen’ around them and they had to leave. He had many questions, but those would have to wait. As he stepped onto the floor, his legs gave out. Not using them for a long time causes you to lose muscle memory. The Risen had used his little arms to push himself up but struggled to stand.

He was pleading to the floating object to help, but realistically, what could it do. It certainly couldn’t lift him. Not without assistance. “Brilliant idea,” said the Ghost. In a flash, a huge bike appeared in the middle of the room. The child clinging onto it and with what remaining strength he had, he pulled himself over the seat, perpendicular with the handlebars. “Hold on to something,” Ghost said before disappearing and the engine roared in the vehicle.

They blasted off away from the village, where the Fallen weren’t a hundred percent guarding, and slipped away. 

That was until one Fallen Vandal had taken his Wire Rifle, aimed it at the moving object in the distance clicking its mandibles, and fire a shot of pure Arc energy and it drove a hole in the vehicle’s engine before it went up in smoke.

The Risen child did not expect getting tossed off the vehicle and tumbling on the ground at such a high velocity. The wrecked vehicle landed on top of his small frame. His armor did nothing to protect him against the weight. The child attempted to get up but a burning pain in their gut halted all plans. He didn’t even have the energy to scream.

He whimpered out one word before the world went black.

_ ”Please.” _


	2. The Walk Back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Insight as to what is going on. Lots of Dialogue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any text in italics is the Fallen, and Ghost, speaking Eliknsi. Normal italics in the non-italic text is normal English as emphasis.
> 
> Example: I went on a _wild_ ride last night.
> 
> Text - English  
_Text_ \- Eliknsi
> 
> Understand?

The Fallen approached the wreckage and the Vandal who had disabled the vehicle noticed who lied underneath it. One of its fellow Vandals came up beside them, _ “Was it one of those Chosen?” _

The first Vandal clicked in affirmation while the second one scoffed, _ “Good, one less we have to worry about.” _

The first one retorted, _ “Look at the body and tell me if that is what you consider a problem,” _they sneered.

The second Vandal scoffed, which sounded more like a growl, _ “Evilys, why do you care? _”

The Vandal, named Evilys, _ “Because I believe this Chosen to be a mere child,” _they moved the wreckage out of the way revealing Evilys’ point to be true.

_ “What is your plan?” _her companion asked.

_ “Well, Skilik, we are going to bring the Chosen back to our Archon so that-” _she was cut off as she was hit over the head.

_ “What in the Great Machine are you thinking?” _ Skilik growled at Evilys. The two Vandals were having a stare-off as their patrol Captain came around, _ “What is the meaning of this you two? I came out to hear that you have taken down a Chosen, but all I see are my two crew members fighting. Explain yourselves. _”

The latter began to explain, both of them exclaimed in their native tongues. The Captain held up the upper left claw and glared at them both before looking at Evilys’ four white eyes, _ “Explain.” _

Evilys explained how they were chasing the little machine and were trying to get it to the Archon who was in dire need of healing, and Evilys has seen these little machines heal their Chosen. So Evilys naturally assumes that this little one can do the same to the Archon.

The Captain nodded, understanding then turned to Skilik waiting for his side of the argument to which Evilys didn’t pay attention to as the little machine they were after made its appearance. _ “You, little machine!” _ Evilys lunged and grabbed the little thing, _ “Explain,” _ she snarled.

“Well, if you let me go and attend to my Chosen, who is a child and can’t possibly injure you. I have been on the run from you because I know what happens to other Ghosts who get caught in your clutches,” the Ghost said struggling in Evilys’ grip. It was a loose grip, just enough to hold the construct in place.

_ “You can understand me?” _Evilys was startled at the construct’s ability to understand her language.

“I’ve spent _ years _ searching for my Chosen, you wouldn’t think I would have learned your Eliknsi language during that time, but I did. _ I had a long time to perfect it too, _” The Ghost switched languages mid-sentence. Skilik snapped his four eyes over to the construct and narrowed its eyes.

The Captain was intrigued and went over to the construct's Chosen. It hefted him up and cradled him in their upper arms, and began to walk away even as the construct complained, _ “Where are you going with _ ** _my_ ** _ Chosen?” _

_ “Call it a proposition, if your Chosen is as innocent as you say, you’ll come with us.” _ the Captain called back, as it carried the limp form of the child. _ “Do you know the name of our House?” _

The Ghost’s shell swerved in confusion, _ “I thought you were House Winter?” _

Evilys, Skilik, and the Captain all chuckled like it was the funniest thing that anyone has ever said. Evilys spoke up through broken laughter, _ “Little machine, we are House Angel. One of the peaceful Houses of all Eliknsi.” _ she cleared her throat, _ “Much to the dismay of the rest of our species,” _ she said simply before swiftly catching up to her Captain, letting the construct go.

The House Angel sigil on the Eliknsi cloaks had the word ‘Angel’ on it. The cloak itself was a cream color, noted by the Ghost, and had no history of this faction of Eliknsi even existing. More questions for later.

The Ghost followed along, hesitantly. This goes against the Ghost’s instincts. _ “What do you want from me though? You wouldn’t have gone through this much trouble for me. There has to be a reason.” _

_ “Permission to explain Captain?” _ Evilys asked her superior. The Captain gave a gruff nod to her and she twisted her head to look at the construct, _ “We crash-landed on this planet a while back. One of our Archons was injured in the crash, helping some of our little ones. We were curious as to if you could heal, or at least, see where our Archon is injured.” _

_ “I see, I mean, I can but I don’t know about healing them.” _ A small growl came from the Captain but the Ghost added, _ “It depends on the extent of the afflicted area. Plus, I also don’t trust you Eliknsi so easily. Most of the ones who shoot at me is trying to kill me. Speaking of, can I take care of my Chosen? I need to explain some things to him.” _

The Captain spoke in a gruff voice, _ “When we arrive back at our base. There, you can assist your ‘Chosen’.” _

_ “You don’t understand, my Chosen will be cut off if I don’t assist him. He’s only a child, only alive for mere minutes,” _ Ghost directed his attention to Evilys, “ _ because of your accuracy.” _

A small growl escaped from under Evilys’ ether mask, _ “I wasn’t going to let you slip away.” _

Skilik chided her, _ “You did your job, not quit arguing with it!” _

Evilys growled but said nothing more. The Captain muttered their complaints, but allowed the construct to ‘resuscitate’ their Risen.

The child was still in the arms of the Captain when he took his first breath after getting revived. He opened his two different colored eyes to see the Captain looking down at the child. The child’s heartbeat soared as he attempted to get himself out of the arms of this ‘Fallen’. The Captain held tight onto the child while looking at the construct in a ‘calm him down now’ sort of way. “Child, look at me,” the voice of the floating object calmed him but still didn’t answer the question of why he was in the arms of an alien.

“These Fallen,” a snarl was heard that made the child jump in the Captain’s arms, “apologies, Eliknsi, are in need of help and they need me to do it. You are coming along. Apparently, there are peaceful ones among the race. They have an Archon, one step below their Kell, I believe, who is injured and they want me to see if I can help.”

The child, still scared out of his mind spoke, “So, what… h-happens n-now?”

The Ghost took a moment to register that he spoke, more than one word and shrieked in glee before fixing himself. Evilys and Skilik watched on in amusement. “Sorry, but for now, we go with them. We can leave when they don’t need us.” the Ghost finished before looking at the Eliknsi around his Risen, _ “Real question: When we-I-heal your Archon, what happens then?” _

Evilys replied, _ “It depends on what the Archon or Kell wants. We will have zero control after that.” _

The child was confused about the words that were exchanged but they were so familiar. “W-What did you s-say… uhm…” the child trailed off as he did not know where he was going with that idea.

“Don’t worry. You’re my Risen. I will protect you. As for what I said, it was in the language of Eliknsi, child,” the floating object said before adding, “Do you… remember anything? Like your name?”

The child shifted in the Captain’s arms, not because he was uncomfortable, but he didn’t know how to answer. The child did not really know anything besides waking up and screaming in pain. “I don’t k-know,” his voice small as he curled up in shame.

_ “My poor Chosen. He doesn’t even know his own name.” _the Ghost said in Eliknsi, making the three Eliknsi around the Ghost sympathetic. The construct was ‘heartbroken’ at this fact; To not know one's own name is devastating.

_ “Captain, you know that Archon Petrin will connect with this ‘child’ after-” _Evilys was cut off by her Captain.

_ “I know,” _was the gruff response. The Ghost assumed this was the Archon in question. It had questions as to what they meant, but the answers would have to wait.

The child was shaking in the Captain’s hold as he was wracked with silent sobs. He couldn’t remember his own name. He couldn’t remember anything except dying in his own bed, based on where his floating friend found him. Ghost could feel the strong emotions coming from his Risen and did the only thing that he could do. It put itself in the crook of the child’s neck, between the helmet seam. The child reached up and cradled it in his hands.

_ I will help you as much as I can, my Risen. I won’t let you go. This I swear. _

* * *

Archon Petrin was worried sick. One of her patrols hasn’t reported anything yet and she fears for their safety. Petrin has suffered, and not just from the crash. The little ones that survived the crash were barely holding on.

What made it worse was that the little ones were her pack. Her children. They were going to die soon if they couldn’t get help. She wouldn’t dare ask the Kell to reach out to other Eliknsi Houses. Many do not share the same pacifism as House Angel.

One Dreg was scrambling to get to the Archon, indicated by stumbling into the makeshift hospital room. Petrin was hooked up to Ether machines that dispensed the required amount needed daily. One of the Servitors acted as the Doctor. _ “What… is… it?” _It is a struggle for Petrin to speak, let alone breath.

_ “My Archon, t-the patrol that hasn’t r-reported in is on approach. They believe that they have a solution. And they brought a guest,” _the Dreg snarled the word ‘guest’.

_ “Do tell.” _

_ “My Archon, they are bringing one of those Chosen of the Great Machine here,” _Petrin tensed as the news hit her ears.

_ “Why?” _The venomous tone, even bed-ridden, was dark, making the Dreg cower in fear.

_ “Th-They said it was a child. C-Captain Vaskir v-vouched f-for it,” _the tension in the room dissipated as the Archon relaxed.

Then Petrin breathed in, _ “A child? The Great Machine’s constructs picked a child?” _Worry dripped in those words, noticeable by the Dreg giving the report.

_ “With how adamant Captain Vaskir is, along with Vandals Evilys and Skilik, I believe so, Archon Petrin,” _The Dreg left the room as Petrin waved him off. 

A child? Brought into this world? Petrin felt a stab of worry and major concern all over. Petrin worried about what the child would face out there. From what she had intercepted from House Devils and House Kings on Earth, the ‘Risen’, as they were called, were taking land and ruling it with an iron fist.

She prayed to the Great Machine to keep this one pure. A child should not be growing up and living in this world. This destroyed, chaotic world. Her maternal instincts were heightened as soon as the Dreg said ‘child’. She hopes the child is not fearful of seeing her in this condition... if they let them.

Archon Petrin has lost many of her children to post-birth effects. Some of which could not be helped. Each time Petrin sired a new litter, only one out of the potential five to seven would live. Each passing made her maternal instincts skyrocket with any being that looked young.

Petrin relaxed, not because she did, but her ether for the day flooded her body, forcing her to relax. Petrin’s pearl eyes drifted to a close as a small rest would do her some good. She needs all the energy she can.

* * *

“W-What are you exactly?” the child whispered to the floating object, not knowing what else to call it.

“My apologies, child, but we were busy so I didn’t get to deliver my whole spiel about this,” a synthetic cough was heard before the object said, “I am a Ghost, _ your _Ghost. I’m able to heal you and if it comes to it, revive you when you… uhm,” Ghost had to choose its words carefully, “stop breathing.”

The child nodded, understanding what ‘Ghost’ was trying to say. Then much to the surprise of the Ghost, he asked a question, “Do you have a name?”

The Ghost fidgeted in his Risen’s hands, the latter opening his hands to allow it to float in front of his face. Ghost looked longingly into the helmet before answering, “No, I-I don’t”

“Well, can I name you?” the child asked with enthusiasm. The Eliknsi looked on inquisitively at the exchange. “I suppose so, what do you have in mind?” The Ghost asked.

“CJ.”

Ghost pondered the name and decided it was better than anything that it could have come up with. “Okay, CJ it is. Would I be able to name you?”

“If you want,” came the child’s reply. Ghost, CJ, began to ponder what names could identify its unique Chosen.

CJ had asked the Captain to put his Chosen down to see if he can walk since he hasn’t since his resurrection. Nodding, Captain Vaskir had put the child down, seeing if they can walk well. Walking proved more difficult than the child thought. Stumbling to get his footing, he fell into Evilys, who looked down before chuckling, which sounded more like a growl to the child. Pushing himself off her leg out of fear of the Vandal’s retaliation he tried to back away, but two arms grabbed him and then in a flash of movement, he was put on Evilys’ shoulders piggyback style. Her upper arms grabbed his legs to hold him while the bottom two held her weapon in place.

A noise of surprise escaped the child’s throat but soon settled his head on Evilys’ shoulder. His eyes taking in the sights around him. Soon after, he didn’t even realize that his eyes were drooping and soon fell asleep. CJ watched on as its robotic core seized, a child, so innocent, ignorant to the world around him.

CJ prays that it will stay that way.

Behind Vaskir and Evilys, Skilik was watching their backs and didn’t want to admit it but the child has already made an impression on him. Skilik knows that the child doesn't have any malicious intentions because he doesn’t _ have _ any intentions. He watched his fellow Vandal carry the child on her shoulders and through his slightly enhanced hearing, he could hear the child snoring.

He thought back to when Evilys and he would play together all the time. Before the Great Machine left the Eliknsi before everything went wrong. Evilys and Skilik were close, real close. After they had a _ disagreement _ they thought it best to be separate, that was until they met in the same House. A story for another time.

Evilys could feel Skilik’s gaze on her and the child she was carrying and turned around. She could see the longing in his eyes, and it didn’t help that she felt the same, but after what he pulled, she still does not forgive his actions.

_ “We are arriving home soon; I will brief Archon Petrin. From there, it’s unknown. Stay close to the child,” _ Vaskir ordered his subordinates.

_ “Sir?” _ Evilys clicked in question

_ “We don’t know how others will react to a ‘Chosen’ entering our den. Stay outside and wait for my order,” _ Vaskir clicked with a sense of finality.

_ “Yes, Captain,” _Evilys replied as the familiar entrance to House Angel was upon them. Some of the Eliksni within crept up to view the child. Rumors must have spread around the den. 

Evilys tightened her hold on the child’s legs. He made a soft noise, completely oblivious to his surroundings. Her weapons were at the ready, she could hear the whispers. The whispers of confusion, curiosity, and worst of all, _ hostility _. She snarled at all of them, not caring if there was a Captain present or not. They had orders to bring back a Ghost, not specifying if a Chosen was with it or not.

Most responded by cowering from her snarl, while others narrowed their four glassy eyes, most likely planning something. Her Captain appeared and with an ordering click, Evilys, Skilik, and the child and Ghost walked inside the den.

Evilys hoped that this would work because Evilys would be devastated if they were to let this child go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The number of times I misspelled 'Eliknsi' for 'Eilknsi' was about seven times.
> 
> I would not have caught it, if not for autocorrect. For once, it's useful.
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> -Horus


	3. Den of House Angel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group arrives at the House of Angel's den. Multiple conversations go down and a nice little surprise at the end to top it all off.
> 
> Evilys immediately chased after her mother, _“What do you think Kell Dreskis will say to this? I-I’m worried about the child.”_  
A hearty laugh escaped the Archon’s mandibles, _“I see you have taken a motherly affection to the child."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Text - English
> 
> _Text here_ \- Eliknsi.

The child stirred on Evilys’ back, opening his eyes inside his helmet and what he sees can only be described as ‘lots of things, this is bad’. To a child’s mind, they can only see so much and can only _ take _ so much.

A whimper escaped the child and CJ flew to the crook of his neck and whispered small encouraging words. In reality, CJ was just as apprehensive. He did not trust the Eliknsi one bit. They were a portion of the reason CJ has developed trust issues. The other portion was various other Risen.

“W-Why are we h-here?” the child, whose name he hasn’t decided on yet, asked full of unadulterated fear. The little Risen clung to Evilys like she was his other lifeline. If she let him go, things would go downhill as fast as they went up.

_ “Since you know what is going on, tell me where we’re going. I know you have your Archon who needs my help but where exactly? My Risen, who is a _ ** _child_ ** _ ,” _ CJ said to the other Eliknsi around them to get them to stop staring, _ “is terrified of where he is. I can’t guarantee his safety, and I have my qualms about this entire ordeal.” _

_ “You are correct, little machine. The underlying problem is _ ** _we_ ** _ do not know what is going to happen when the Archon sees your Chosen. Archon Petrin, the Archon grows attached to beings that are of smaller stature. She has had… difficulties with reproduction. Seventy-five to ninety percent of her offspring die from post-birth defects,” _Evilys explained to the construct.

CJ was about to ask for more insight but then a small, timid voice spoke, “W-Why do I feel like I know this language? I don’t know _ why _but I feel like I have heard of this before. C-CJ, you said this was what language?”

“Eliknsi, dear child,” CJ responded in an equally soft voice.

Suddenly, a word popped into the young child’s mind and before he could even fathom it, he said, _ “H-h-hello.” _

Evilys and Skilik, trailing behind, all froze as all eyes around them, bore into the small child’s frame. “Child, where did you learn that?” the small fear rising up in the machine’s core.

“I-I… don’t know!” and that was it, the tears from inside the helmet leaked out of the suit and onto the smaller chest plate. Evilys then shifted the child where their fronts were together. She was hugging him, all four of her arms now free of any weapons as she consoled the small quivering child.

The child absent-mindedly latched onto the Vandal, clinging to her. The crying was full-blown bawling. There was so much that he didn’t understand about the world. There were so many questions that he had, but there was no possible way to get answers. With the state of the world as it is, going to another Risen is out of the question. They would kill him, even if he is a child. They would not know if he was lying or not.

Captain Vaskir rounded the corner of the medical wing of the den, seeing that Evilys hold the child in a motherly embrace. The construct floating beside it, twisting its outer shell, and Skilik with that same look of longing that Evilys had caught him with. Captain Vaskir ordered, _ “The Archon will see them now,” _and disappeared back into the room.

The child’s cries lowered in volume, but Evilys could feel each movement of the child. His grasp on her never relenting, his face towards her neck, even with the helmet on, it didn’t bother her. A small purr of satisfaction escaped Evilys’ throat. The child did not make any sudden moves to the sound, but the child calmed exponentially as they entered the room. Skilik passed ahead of her so she could enter last.

The Archon looked worse for wear, according to Evilys. She had thought the damage was less than it was. She could see her Archon’s eyes, the ones that look like Evilys’ own. That look that the Vandal holding CJ’s chosen gave it away. CJ decided not to say anything on that topic, something they could discuss later.

_ “How are you faring, Archon Petrin?” _ Evilys asked cautiously.

The response was calm, gentle, but still held authority, _ “My child, you do not have to address me formally like this,” _ CJ’s optic widened, but said nothing. So, he was right in his assumption.

_ “Apologies Mother, you know I take the hierarchy seriously. On that note, we may have found a solution to your injuries,” _Evilys gestured to the little machine, the Archon’s eyes followed.

_ “Are you sure this will work? If it does not-” _

_ “It has to!” _ Evilys cut off her mother. Almost pleading, _ “It has to…” _

_ “I will see what I can do,” _ CJ spoke, breaking the tension in the room. _ “I do have to remind you that this _ ** _may_ ** _ not work. If anything, I can assess you and tell you what has to be done/fixed. There is a small chance that this will allow me to heal you. Do you understand?” _CJ said formally, not wanting to upset them.

His Chosen still resided in Evilys’ arms, but he was now facing the Archon. It was huge and yet, he felt a sense of calmness in its presence, something that he hasn’t had since he was woken up. Archon Petrin had taken notice to the child but said nothing as the construct scanned the Archon’s body from head to toe. “Strange, but I should be able to do something about this.”

A bright light flashed in the room and the Ghost shot a beam at the Archon’s abdomen and the Archon sighed in relief. She could feel the bones being repaired and healed. The flow of Ether is much stronger now. Soon after, the Archon stood up, stretched and looked at the construct, _ “Thank you, would it be too much trouble to look in the next room, there are some little ones that need your assistance if you would allow it.” _

CJ didn’t have the heart to say no, “Stay here child, do not leave the room, I will be back,” he said as he floated behind a curtain and began to work.

Meanwhile, the child was scared again. Now that his Ghost wasn't here, he feared the worst. Instinctively, he hid behind Evilys’ cloak, peeping his head out from the side of her form. Much to his surprise and chagrin, the Archon spoke in perfect English, “Child, I mean no harm to you. I only wish to see you.”

From behind Evilys, “H-how do I know you are not lying to me?”

Like a mother scolding her child, “I would not have brought you in here to see my weakened state. You would not have been led here. Now, please, may I see the child that my Captain has described,” the soft tone used, along with a purr, coaxed the child out from behind Evilys, ever so slightly. Vaskir and Skilik watched on in awe. 

They had no idea that Archon Petrin spoke the Human’s language. Evilys remained the only one unfazed. She knew her mother spoke English, but had explicitly told her to never speak it. She never questioned as to _ why _, but she respected her mother highly.

The child had peeked out from behind Evilys and when he was about halfway out, she quickly stepped away revealing the tiny child. Petrin’s heart softened. A child in this world… it is going to be a hard life for him. To be brought back into a world full of madness, destruction, and anarchy. “I am not going to hurt you, child. I mean no harm to you,” Petrin said as she held out a hand.

The Ghost came back from the other room and watched on in anticipation. It made sure that it did not make eye contact with his Chosen. It would alert him to its presence. Instead, it floated there, out of sight.

The child took a small step forward, but as discovered before, the muscle memory in his legs did not carry over into the afterlife. He was as stable as a toddler. He tripped right into the Archon’s form. He feared the reaction, he was not trying to do anything wrong, but the Archon simply laughed a light-hearted chuckle. “Oh, little one, it seems we have to teach you how to walk.”

The child felt heat rising to his cheeks, it was not his fault he didn’t remember how to walk. Merely, he has not done such activity since… since his death. Upon thinking about his death, the tears came back. The Archon scooped up the child and let him settle. To put it into perspective, the child is five feet tall, while the Archon is at least _ fifteen _ feet tall. The child merely cried at the fact he doesn’t remember anything.

_ “He doesn’t remember his own name, so do not bother asking him. It would take his mood and make it worse, Archon…” _CJ said making his presence known.

_ “Petrin, little machine. You know our native tongue?” _The Archon asked.

_ “For years, now. What is the plan now that you and the young ones are healed, as I have much to explain to my Chosen about the world and any question he may have,” _CJ explained curtly.

_ “Yes, yes, I understand.” _ Petrin cast a glance at the child in her arms, _ “Is it possible for him to breathe outside his helmet. Is the atmosphere safe for him?” _The motherly concern surprised the Ghost but shook it off as he ran a scan of the atmosphere. It was found out to be habitable for him, at the current climate. In later years, maybe not so much.

_ “Yes, it is, but I do not believe taking off his helmet is a good idea,” _ CJ chided.

_ “Well, let’s ask him, shall we?” _Petrin suggested as she switched languages, “Child, do you want to take your helmet off? Your construct believed it to be best if I asked you first.”

“Is it s-safe?” the child murmured into the Archon’s shoulder.

“According to my scans, yes, my little one,” CJ cooed to his Chosen.

The child leaned back to attempt to pull the helmet off, but it did not budge. “Here, let me,” the Archon said before popping the seal on his helmet. The helmet was slowly lifted off his head in case he changed his mind. Petrin did not want the child to be scared of her or any other Eliknsi. At least, to the ones in here, in House Angel.

The helmet, the basic helmet with a simple visor came off the child’s head. He blinked a few times, then used the balls of his fists to rub his eyes, trying to adjust to the darker setting. “I-I can breathe? H-How?” that little stutter makes the females' hearts in the room clench at the pure innocence. Such a young mind. The child’s different colored eyes had the attention of the Archon.

When the child looked around, the other Eliknsi present looked into his eyes. Evilys’ heart clenched even more because he is such a cute child. Not as cute as Eliknsi newborns, but he is most definitely a heart snatcher. 

“Archon Petrin,” the child’s construct asked, “May I take this time to explain everything to my Chosen?”

_ “Of course, little machine, but do not leave the premises. Kell is going to want to know about all this,” _Petrin said, not as a threat, but as a forewarning. They wouldn’t kill a child, would they?

After setting the child down in one of the makeshift chairs, Petrin ordered Vaskir, Evilys, and Skilik to stand guard outside of the room while she went to go inform the Kell.

Evilys was a little more apprehensive to leave. She already feels a motherly bond to him, due to his small stature, but also to his innocence. The ignorant mind of a child is something this world lacks, and Evilys wants to preserve that.

As soon as Petrin left the room and the three Eliknsi were in place. Evilys immediately chased after her mother, _“What do you think Kell Dreskis_ _will say to this? I-I’m worried about the child.”_

A hearty laugh escaped the Archon’s mandibles, _“I see you have taken a motherly affection to the child. Not surprising, I saw that look as soon as he entered the room and he hid behind you._ _You want him to stay here, with us, but I’m afraid that Kell Dreskis will react differently than you expect, my dear child.”_

_ “Mother, I would be devastated if Kell had to exile the poor child. I know of our Kell’s opinion on the Risen that flood Earth. Yet, he doesn’t see that not all Risen are the same,’ _Evilys argued with her mother.

_ “Mind your tone, child!” _ Petrin growled at her daughter, _ “You cannot say such things, not where anyone can hear you. You know better, now leave and go watch him,” _Petrin dismissed her as she entered the Kell’s section of the den.

Now for quite a difficult conversation.

* * *

Breathing in again, the child squirmed in his seat. He has questions but doesn’t know how to ask them, “W-What is the story with the other… Risen?”

CJ sighed, “I don’t think that is the best question to start with, child. There are some things I’m not willing to tell you to preserve you. Instead, I’m going to tell you about I had no idea you were going to be a child when I found you,” CJ started, catching the child’s attention.

“When the Traveler, a massive white orb, came to the Solar system. It granted Humanity technological and medical advances so far into the future, the Golden Age came to be. It made technology that modern, relics. The Golden Age made human lifespans triple, and they reached beyond the stars. Humanity set up colonies on Mars, Venus, and beyond. I found you in such a colony,” CJ shifted uncomfortable as it debated to tell him the next part. “Unfortunately, the Traveler’s enemy, known only as, the Darkness came and followed the Traveler. It laid waste to all of the Traveler’s creations. It sent us into the place we are in now, the Dark Age. Before the Traveler died, it sent us, the Ghosts, out to find Defenders, our Chosen.”

The child was engorged into the story, not caring if the more somber parts were, in fact, dark. In fact, this is what CJ wanted, he wanted his Chosen to be distracted. Yes, he may not have said the story he was going to but it is a nice break to not recall the journey it took to get to its Chosen. “Please answer why you do not like other ‘Chosen’?” his tiny fingers doing air quotes.

CJ looked him dead in the eyes, “Are you sure you want to know? It is much more… disturbing,” it warned the child. CJ hopes that he would not have asked that, but the child brought up a valid point.

“It would be better if I was warned before I ever meet one. I-I understand your hesitation, CJ, but please don’t baby me as much. I-I know I-I’m a child, but I wanna be one of those Defenders, the good ones,” the child exclaimed his dream.

CJ went on to explain his encounters with some other Risen, the problem was, they were all bloodthirsty maniacs, killing other Ghosts on sight. CJ barely managed to escape onto an Eliknsi ship headed to Venus. It left out most of the gruesome details but got the point across with how bad the other Warlords are. Last CJ knew, one of them had a third of the old United States under her belt. A mass of others has the other two-thirds.

The child was shocked at CJ’s descriptions, and they were toned down, unbeknown to the child. “I-I never want to be one of those. I-I would rather hide from them.”

“Smart move, child,” CJ agreed which prompted the eager child’s next question.

“Have you thought of a name for me, CJ?” the child asked with a spark in his multi-colored eyes.

“I have, would you like to hear it? I have three names chosen: Sullivan, Lenny, and Neil,” The child nodded vigorously at all the names, “You have to choose one, dear child.”

The child tapped his chin with his gloved fingers. He thought about all of them. He didn’t like Lenny, it sounded boring, Neil didn’t feel right, but Sullivan. That one. “S-Sullivan,” the nerves came back with a vengeance.

“So, you want to be named Sullivan? Sully for short?” CJ asked.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Sullivan clapped his hands with vigor. He was happy to have a name. It reminded him of a movie, it was about monsters and something or other.

Soon, the door opened and the Vandal, the one who carried Sullivan, as described by CJ, appeared in the archway before it did a series of clicks and growls which made CJ freeze.

“C-CJ? What did they say?” Sullivan was frightened to know the answer.

“The Kell wants to see me,” CJ said before turning to Sully, “and he wants you to be there too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies if you dislike the name, I really didn't like referring to Sullivan as 'Chosen', 'Risen', or 'Child' all the time.
> 
> So, if you do dislike the name and have a suggestion for a potentially better name leave a comment.
> 
> I might take the name if I like it.
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> -Horus


	4. Kell's Discussion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do I need to explain the text thing again, or has everyone understood it? 
> 
> Now, I won't put it this chapter, I will, however, put it there, should someone, somehow, get confused at the dialogue.

Sullivan shivered in his spot, “H-He wants t-to see m-me?” His breathing and heart rate climbed rapidly. If he doesn’t calm down, then he will have a panic attack. This is only adding into the innocence that Sullivan has.

_ “Machine, tell him that I will carry him if he would like. He has nothing to fear,” _ Evilys clicked and cooed.

CJ nodded, “Evilys, the Vandal over at the door has offered to carry you, Sullivan. I know you can’t walk, and I’ll be right there with you, ok? According to her, you have nothing to fear my child.” CJ flew right in front of Sullivan’s face, seeing his eyes dart from Evilys to CJ, his bottom lip quivering, holding back his fear. _ He’s learning _.

Sullivan weighed his options; He could go and see what happens or stay, defy them, and most likely die. He chooses life. CJ could hear his thoughts and was surprised that he rationalized it so quick. _ “Carry him, please.” _

With a light squeal from Evilys, she walked over to Sullivan slowly as to not scare the ever-loving Traveler out of him. He looked up at the Vandal called Evilys and he held his arms out to her. Evilys’ eyes softened and her heart melted. He trusts her, sort of. She carefully picked him up under his shoulders and she used her bottom set of arms to shift him into a comfortable position. His tiny legs wrapped around Evilys’ frame and his head on her shoulder. One of her hands reached out to pet his head but refrained. She looked to his construct, her eyes begging for permission.

CJ could feel Sullivan’s feelings. The one that stood out was that he felt _ safe _ in her arms. Out of everyone here, this specific Vandal is the one who is able to calm him down. CJ slowly nodded and Evilys’ eyes lit up in happiness. Her hand went slow as she stroked his hair and let out a purr. Evilys had really grown attached to him. CJ noticed this and asked, _ “Are you enjoying that?” _ he teased.

Evilys quickly snapped to attention, embarrassed, _ “I- uhm, yes…” _ she admitted sheepishly. If an Eliknsi could blush, that is what Evilys is doing. _ “I have always wanted a child, someone to care for. I-I never had that chance, and we female Eliknsi are naturally overprotective of our young and your Chosen…” _ Evilys gazed down to see the different colored eyes looking at her before he smiled and laid his head back down, _ “classifies as young in my maternal instincts. Which means, I feel like I have a responsibility to raise him.” _

_ “You wish to be his surrogate mother?” _CJ asked bluntly, knowing Evilys was skidding around the topic. It saw the way it looked at its Chosen, that motherly look, the one that means a lot to any child. It doesn’t come as a surprise that Sullivan goes to her naturally. In the time they met her, he has always gravitated to her.

Evilys froze at the little machine’s question. It was stated with so much confidence that Evilys couldn’t deny it. She _ wanted _ to be a mother. She couldn’t produce her own offspring after what her mate did. The unforgivable actions that he took. _ “Yes, I wish to be his _ sur-ro-gate _ mother.” _

CJ was not surprised at the use of her gruff English, because of the fact that Archon Petrin was her mother and spoke English perfectly. No doubt, that she learned it too but never spoke it. All the while, they were walking through the den to get to Kell Dreskis’ quarters where he demanded they arrive.

Even though he didn’t outwardly show it, Sullivan’s fear was rising. He didn’t know what to say to this ‘Kell’ and he didn’t know if he spoke his language. Sullivan wants to learn this language so he could speak to this Vandal who has been nothing but kind and caring to him. CJ could once again feel the thoughts running through its Chosen’s brain. CJ mentioned that he was willing to learn Eliknsi to Evilys and her eyes brightened even more; Going so far as hugging Sullivan closer to her chest, even though he is already right against her chest.

Other members of House Angel heard the conversation and they wondered if it was even possible for a Human, a Chosen no less, to learn the sacred language of Eliknsi. They, other females scattered about the den, noticed that Evilys was holding the child close like it was her own. Most of the females are older, wiser, and are Captains. They like seeing the younger females get excited about a child. It will allow their species to grow.

The Eliknsi have soft spots for children. The residents at House Angel would never intentionally harm a child. Now, the other Houses… they would slaughter anyone who got in their way... even a crying child. They are the ones who put the Eliknsi to shame. They were better than that. Back when the Great Machine blessed them with its presence.

“CJ? Do you- do you know what’s going to happen?” Sullivan asked, muffled in Evilys’ chest.

“Honestly Sully, I cannot. We can only hope that this goes well,” CJ had no real words of encouragement here. The only thing that was here was their potential demise. No worries.

Evilys clicked a greeting and the doors to the Kell’s domain opened. The room itself was spacious, but also not leaving anything to the imagination. Inside, the Kell, Dreskis, was seated on his throne of something. Sullivan couldn’t tell from his position. Next to the Kell was Archon Petrin. Below her, Captain Vaskir. They seemed to have already been talking and some fierce arguing was happening between the Kell and Archon.

Evilys announced herself, _ “My Kell, we have arrived as instructed. You wish to discuss the matter of the human child residing here?” _ It was a bitter statement for Evilys to say, she adored the child, to brand him as just another ‘human child’ disgusted her. She would much rather refer to him as _ her _ child, given his grip has significantly tightened upon entering the room.

The Kell’s voice boomed over everyone else, _ “Yes, and I have made my decision… He is not allowed to reside here. He is a Lightbearer, the ones who kill us without remorse. They want no peace and I’m not risking our lives for this child.” _

CJ was translating it for Sullivan but stopped as soon as he said, ‘not allowed’, _ “If it wasn’t for me, Kell, your Archon would not be talking to you now. Had left unattended, Archon Petrin would have been laying on her deathbed. My Chosen has done _ ** _nothing _ ** _ to you, and yet you classify him as one of the ‘evil Lightbearers’. Do you really think I’m going to bring him to Earth, just to watch him be slaughtered by another Risen?” _ The Kell said nothing in response. _ “ANSWER ME!” _CJ shouted.

The entire room was in silence. No one, _ nothing _ , has _ ever _ talked back to a Kell and lived to tell the tale. Kell Dreskis was at first furious, but upon seeing Evilys cradling the child like one would cradle their young; He could see the effect that it has already made on her. Evilys was shocked and almost let Sullivan slip out of her grip.

CJ’s eye was red, and his shell stiff. It was not going to let him go out into the wilds and get himself killed. No way, not in a million years. _“You can’t see that my Chosen has done no harm to you or your young? In fact, he’s _**_eager_** _to learn your language. He wants to be able to communicate with the Eliknsi. Your Vandal here, Evilys, has already offered to be his surrogate mother. Can’t you see the love she has for him by just looking at them?!”_

Dreskis looked right at Evilys and he saw the construct’s words were true. Evilys was caring for him in ways that mothers should. Archon Petrin added in, _ “The construct is right, Kell Dreskis. When they told me that this being was a child, my own maternal instincts wanted this child to be safe and pure. If you banish them, then they will die. Other ‘Risen’, are ruthless, yes, but _ ** _not_ ** _ this one. His mind is too innocent to be destructive. _Would you please look at me, child?”

Sullivan perked up when he heard Petrin’s soft, calming voice, “Yes?”

“Would you rather stay here, in House Angel, or go out there into the wilds and be free?” Petrin got right down to it, no games, no lollygagging.

This gave Sullivan pause. Stay here with the only sense of family he has, or go outside, possibly never to return. Plus, he likes being held like he is now. It’s a comforting embrace. The choice for Sullivan is obvious, “I want to stay here with you, the only real sense of family I have now. Other than CJ,” Sullivan pointed to his Ghost.

Petrin relayed his exact words back to the Kell and the Kell took pause, _ “It seems I have a decision to make. Everyone is dismissed.” _Kell Dreskis waved his hand in a shooing motion. Everyone soon left now that there was something to think about.

Sullivan did not want to be carried as he wanted to try walking again. As much as he should be embarrassed about not being able to walk, he thinks nothing of it. Evilys could see the look in his heterochromatic eyes, he wanted to prove that he wasn’t weak. That he could be strong, and it all starts with moving on your own.

Evilys set him down but held onto his right hand with her lower left hand. She was there in case he fell, should he slip or trip, she’ll catch him. Sullivan slowly, with a lot more effort raised his left leg, while his right leg trembled under his weight, which wasn’t much. It was a miracle he was standing in his armor. CJ notes he still hasn’t found his discipline or a calling.

Sullivan stepped forward and managed to keep his balance. Sullivan managed to get his left leg up and step, but as soon as he raised his right, his left ankle rolled and he stumbled. Evilys managed to catch him before he fell. Evilys looked for permission to carry him now. Sullivan leaned into Evilys as his permission. 

CJ beamed at its Chosen’s progress. Just the day before, or better yet a few hours ago, he could not even walk, let alone stand, yet he just took his ‘first’ steps. “Don’t worry Sullivan, with time and practice, walking will be as easy as breathing is.”

“I-I hope so, CJ,” Sullivan said before yawning and feeling his eyes fluttering shut.

_ “Evilys,” _ the voice belonging to Kell Dreskis echoed in the now-empty cavern, _ “watch over the child for the time being. Consider this a direct order. Your mother is right, young one, you have grown attached. Now, leave,” _he once again waved his hand and Evilys shuffled out of the area. Evilys rushed to her little area. It is big enough to house her and one equivalent of her size. It would work for them both.

_ “Little machine, I am taking your ‘Chosen’ to my quarters, is that alright with you?” _ she does not want to upset the little machine.

_ “Fine by me,” _ it paused, _ “Oh, and he had asked me to name him. I named him Sullivan.” _

_ “Sull-e-vaughn?” _Evilys questioned, not quite nailing the pronunciation of ‘Sullivan’ but close enough.

_ “Don’t worry, you will get the hang of it, eventually. Before I forget, Sullivan named me as well. You can call me ‘CeeJay’.” _

_ “CeeJay,” _ Evilys tested the name on her tongue. It is definitely easier than Sullivan’s.

_ “You two go to sleep, I will join you shortly. I have to prepare Eliknsi lessons for Sullivan. He does have an interest in learning,” _ CJ said before leaving the two of them alone.

* * *

  
Kell Dreskis thought about what the little machine said to him. He chuckled at his words, as much as it was disrespect to backtalk a Kell, the words also rang true. The child from what he could see, as he has seen the child’s attempts to walk; Meaning, the child cannot possibly be a threat. Archon Petrin was the only one to remain in the room.

He motioned her to speak her mind, _ “What do you think?” _

_ “Think, my Kell?” _Petrin was confused.

_ “Tell me what you feel about all of this,” _Dreskis motioned with his hands.

_ “Without that little construct, I would most likely be dead, my Kell. I urge you to rethink your decision to banish the child. That child has only been alive for a day,” _ a moment’s pause, _ “ _ ** _less_ ** _ than a day. You heard the little construct say that the child is _ ** _willing_ ** _ to learn our tongue. I also understand that you have some… encounters with the other ‘Lightbearers’, but yet this specific one has shown you that not all of them are these ‘Warlords’.” _ Petrin was relatively stoic on her delivery, as she wanted to explode on him that he even _ dared _mention banishing the child. Petrin was nervous to mention her Kell’s encounters to him, but the scars on his chest, mask, and face told a violent story. 

Dreskis’ arms folded together in thought. He is grateful for his Archon’s insight into the matter. As much as he wants to banish him, he cannot get the look Vandal Evilys had on the child off of his mind. Dreskis could see the look in her eyes. _ “I will have my decision made by the new day, dismissed.” _

Archon Petrin left at once and immediately set out to find Evilys, as she is the one who has the responsibility to watch over him. Reaching her daughter’s quarters, she was about to knock when Evilys revealed herself, _ “Mother, what is it?” _

_ “I put in a word with the Kell, he will decide by the new day. For now, stay with him, maybe teach him to walk,” _ Petrin brought her child close to hug, _ “I can see you are going to be a great mother to him.” _

Now, Eliknsi do not shed ‘tears’ as the Risen call it, nor do they ‘leak’ Ether. The result of it is their body shivering violently. Not in a lashing out manner, but the feeling that your legs give out on you except it is their whole body. Evilys fell into her mother’s towering form, and she cooed incoherent sentences and words. The feeling of being appreciated reverberated throughout Evilys’ form. _ “Thank you, Mother,” _ Evilys said after getting her body back in control.

Petrin looked inside the room and saw the child curled up in a ball, his little construct flew by Petrin before settling itself in the middle of the child. “Rest now, child, for I know you require it.”

The only response she got was the shuffling of his armor and a small whine from the child’s lips. Petrin sees a future in this child, she only hopes she’ll live long enough for it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm forgoing updating on weekends, as because I don't want to not update because of some stupid reason. I love writing, and fun fact, this is my first attempt at writing with a child as a Guardian...
> 
> So, there's that, am I doing a good job? Terrible? Let me know.
> 
> -Horus


	5. To Stay and Search

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know the text drill.

_ It was all normal to him, getting up going to school, having fun. It was all so simple back then. Then he heard a rumor about something that is coming today. The child shook it off, and that rumor was coming from the person who spouts garbage for breakfast. _

_ All throughout the day, a feeling of dread washed over the entire school. Every student, teacher, and facility member felt it. So much so that school was promptly dismissed and everyone was sent to their homes. _

_ The feeling never left the poor child, he was starting to believe the rumors. It felt like a cloak smothering his ability to breath. Sweat shimmered on his body. It felt hot all of a sudden and the bed seemed like the best place to be. With all the cool technology that was invented, due to the Traveler’s arrival, a cooling blanket was invented. It had a holographic display, so one could set the temperature they wish to stay at. He finally got one and he preferred sleeping with a cold blanket. It allows his body heat to counteract with the cold. _

_ As soon as he laid down in bed, the feeling of dread amplified, but he shoved it off and closed his eyes. _

_ Unfortunately, that was the last time he closed them, as the next time he woke up, there were some chitters and then silence throughout the room… _

* * *

CJ noted the elevated heart rate and breathing from Sullivan. In a quick move, he transmatted the helmet on his head to allow the filters to do their job. With the number of times he is breathing heavy, there would not be enough oxygen for him to breath. Sullivan shot up and let out a scream, before clawing his chest again.

“Relax Sullivan, I’m right here. You are fine, nothing has happened to you,” CJ’s words fell on deaf ears as Sullivan curled upon himself and cried. These were loud, ear ringing sobs. All CJ could make out was, ‘Don’t hurt me’ and ‘I didn’t have a chance’.

Evilys came back as soon as she heard the scream. She burst into her door to see Sullivan in the fetal position and when he made eye contact with her, he pushed himself back; his heart rate increasing even more. Evilys immediately could feel the fear behind the helmet, he was scared of _ her _.

Maybe not her specifically, but Evilys put the pieces together. Sullivan here was killed by Eliknsi, all the way back when he first died. It was something that shadowed him even in death. A beam emitted from CJ into Sullivan’s chest, and soon after, the cries and whines were slowed to just him breathing extremely heavy.

Sullivan’s little hands were clenching and unclenching rapidly as he tried to calm himself down. _ Deep breath, _ he told himself. He felt terrible for reacting that way. Why _ did _ he react that way? Was it because it was something he needed to remember? Or was it because his mind was trying to tell him something?

“Sullivan, look at me,” CJ’s voice demanded.

“I-I’m not goi-going to d-die, a-am I?” his voice raw from the overextended use of his throat. Sullivan’s back was to the wall, his hands at his sides, and his legs out in front of him. He felt so exhausted.

“Do you know what happened, Sullivan?” CJ asked, wanting to hear his side of the story. CJ already knows what happened; it saved a copy of the dream, trying to figure it out.

Sullivan shook his head and brought his legs to his chest and hooked his arms around his knees. His helmet leaning right on top of his knees, and Sullivan took a deep breath. Evilys still stood at the doorway and looked on helplessly.

She is saddened that she can’t help her child. It does not matter what anyone else tells her, he is _ her _ child, _ “CeeJay, how can I help him?” _

CJ looked at Evilys before shaking his shell, _ “I don’t know if you can at the current moment. Reminder, he hasn’t had the time to properly adjust to this entire thing, and it is not for a lack of trying. A child’s mind is so small and delicate, that the slightest change in scenery can cause major backlash psychologically. This is an event that Sullivan went through is something that will shadow him for the rest of his existence, I’m afraid.” _

_ “I just want to hold him, to show him that we are all not bad, to give him love and affection that, as a child, deserves,” _ Evilys responded.

_ “In time, Evilys, in time,” _ CJ said fatigued.

“When am I going to be able to learn that? I can’t understand you all, and I-I know you are talking about me,” Sullivan blurted out, dragging the attention to himself.

“When do you want to start?” CJ inquired.

“Can we start right now?” Sullivan asked, his mood brightening to the normal bubbly child he is. CJ checked his throat by sweeping a beam of healing over it, fixing the strain he had just put on it.

“Alright kiddo, let me get the lessons ready,” CJ said, disappearing, but still giving a little flick to Sullivan’s mind to let him know that they have not left.

Evilys sees that he is settled again, but a creeping fear that he’ll scream again if she tries to console him is gnawing at her. Her hands fidget with one another, her eyes averted from him. Let the logical side of her win, she walked out of the room. As soon as she was about to shut the door she heard, “Wait!”

The word did mean something to Evilys, one that she learned the fastest because her mother said it so often when she was young. Evilys opened the door again to see Sullivan stand on his own feet, swaying his arms for balance before taking a quick step. Then another. And another before he collided with Evilys’ frame, wrapping his arms around her. “I-I’m sorry for yelling and screaming, I-I had a bad dream and it really scared me, and I-I…” Sullivan trailed off as CJ’s voice spoke the meaning behind his rambling. He was apologizing for screaming at her, it was not directed towards Evilys, CJ made that clear. He wanted her to stay and help him with pronunciations of certain words that even an AI can’t reproduce.

Hours later, Sullivan can successfully say his greetings, departures, and his name. All in just a single three-hour session. The most difficult concept for him to grasp is the growls and groans he has to put on his words. With a tiny voice box, to no fault of his own, it is more taxing on the throat. Over time, his voice box will be used to the strain of the Eliksni language.

Sullivan did manage to have a small conversation with Evilys and when he finished said conversation, he threw himself at her in a bear hug. The clicking from Evilys’ jaws told Sullivan she was appreciative of the gesture.

“Now, Sullivan, we are going to try and harness the Traveler’s gift, but first we need an open area, or at least, a place where we are safe,” CJ mentioned to the child and then told Evilys the same thing in Eliksni.

Evilys tensed, _ “We have to wait for the Kell’s decision,” _ she let go of Sullivan to address the machine. _ “He will have his decision in a few hours.” _

_ “Better hope it works in our favor. I can see myself leaving him with you while I acquire data on our surroundings,” _CJ vanished into thin air.

_ “Follow me, little one,” _ Evilys cooed.

_ “O-Ok-Okay.” _ Sullivan understands the words, but once again, it is pronouncing them that gives him problems. Soon after, Kell Dreskis demanded to see Sullivan… _ alone. _

This provoked Archon Petrin, Captain Vaskir, Vandal Evilys, and the most surprising of them all, Vandal Skilik. All four of them were overly concerned about Sullivan’s safety. It is not that they do not trust their Kell, they do, but before House Angel turned peaceful, Kell Dreskis had seen the atrocities of the Risen. Resulting in the scars that lined the Kell’s form. Sullivan has yet to find a spark to his power. CJ could feel everyone’s hesitation to let him out of their sight. It warms CJ’s robotic core to know that at least someone loves him, other than itself.

Sullivan still needed help walking, but CJ could just tell that soon enough he won’t need help walking. Soon enough, they will have to tell him to stop running. Sullivan was taking a couple of steps a day, each one getting more confident.

Evilys, with severe concern, guide her child to the Kell. When the doors open, she helped him inside, put him on a chair that was sitting there, along with Kell Dreskis. The latter waved her off as Evilys, with a constricting heart, left. As the saying goes, she ‘threw him to the wolves’.

* * *

The room was emptier than usual, and not because of the lack of Eliknsi, no. It was barren, the room looked like no one ever stepped in it. “So, you did come. I did not think you would,” Kell Dreskis spoke perfect English to Sullivan.

Taken back, Sullivan stuttered, _ “H-Hello, _ uhm, _ Ke-Kell Dres-Dreskis.” _

“So, they have taught you greetings, yes?” Kell Dreskis inquired.

_ “Yes, m-my Ke-Kell,” _Sullivan stammered.

“Do you know why I’ve called you in here?” Dreskis asked, twitching his fingers. Sullivan shook his head ‘no’. “Well, I wanted to see your intentions. Vandal Evilys trusts you a great deal then, and well, I do not see any problem with you residing here.”

Sullivan’s facial expression below his helmet beamed, and he wanted to hug the Kell, but he doesn’t think he’ll make it that far, and also, still can’t walk properly.

Sullivan bowed his head, _ “Th-Thank Y-You,” _

“Dismissed, little one,” The Kell had the door opened and Evilys came rushing in. She checked over Sullivan four times before deeming him safe, and she carried him away.

_ “Did he hurt you?” _ Evilys asked with concern laced in her features. The ether mask hides a lot of her face, but the words meant more.

CJ responded with, _ “Well, he isn’t kicking us out so, we are good.” _

Evilys’ face lit up as she roared in what CJ defines as ‘glee’. Evilys squished Sullivan to her chest and he let a _ hmph _ as he collided with the bulking Vandal.

“So, she’s happy,” CJ joked with his Risen. All he got in response was a bunch of muffled words which sounded like he needed assistance, _ “You may want to let up on your affection. You don’t know your own strength.” _

_ “Sorry, I am just ecstatic that he gets to stay! Here! With me!” _Evilys is more than happy now that her child gets to stay. She is so going to spoil the ever-loving Great Machine out of him.

Squirming out of her grip, Sullivan lands on his feet, stumbles, then recovers waving his arms out for balance. “Does this mean I can figure out my… w-what did you call it again?”

“Your discipline or your calling, we have to explore the connection we have, so that it may grow. Maybe if Evilys or Petrin want to supervise you, then we can go and see, alright Sullivan?” CJ explained and questioned him.

Sullivan nodded enthusiastically, then promptly stopped as he gave himself a headache. He fell backward and Evilys didn’t catch him in time, so he winded up on the ground with a now sore bottom. Evilys went to help him up, but he waved her off. He instead, with a lot of force, pushed himself up, a feat he could not accomplish only a day ago.

Evilys clapped her hands together while CJ’s pride beamed higher than before. He really is learning. “Look at you go, Sullivan!”

“I didn’t think I would be able to do that!” Sullivan exclaimed. Evilys picked him up and walked outside the den. The area surrounding it was wide open and flat, with only a few hills distorting the view. “I wanna try to see if I can find my discipline,” he said, as he tensed his entire body and tried to do something; Anything at all.

Before long, he was tired and sore from straining his muscles, at least, the ones that remained anyway. “You must relax in your mind, Sullivan. Simply forcing the connection does not do one good. It will only set you back,” CJ corrected, as it could sense the judging stare from him. “Sullivan, take a deep breath and focus on your mind. Look for something glowing inside your body. Feel the warmth radiating from it.”

Sullivan did exactly as his Ghost said. He took not one, but two deep breaths and sat down, almost like he was supposed to. Soon enough, the world faded from around him and all he could see was a light.

This light was the thing he was looking for. CJ’s voice could be heard, telling him to look for this and feel its warmth. His subconscious body moved ever so close to the light he could see it and maybe if he was lucky, hold it. He inched ever closer to it. His breathing on the outside had dramatically slowed. So much so, that Evilys became increasingly worried about him. CJ assured her that he was fine. This is true, it was keeping track of his vitals and it sees that he is in no danger.

Sullivan reached out to the light and grabbed it. It felt so warm and inviting. That said warmth then engulfed his entire body. At first, his breathing hitched, but settled soon after as the flames that now covered him did not burn him.

On the outside, he was covered in flames. CJ was acting normal, as he wanted this outcome. It means he is in tune with Sol Light. Evilys on the other hands was on the verge of freaking out and throwing a fit. She had very limited knowledge of the Great Machine’s power and blessing, so her seeing her child in flames, but not screaming in agony threw her for a giant loop. _ “Is he supposed to be on fire?!” _

_ “Yes, actually, he is becoming in tune with Sol Light, the first of many blessings,” _ CJ explained to her, but that did not ease her worry. It only made it worse.

_ “What do you plan on doing? Letting him burn?!” _Evilys snarled at the little machine.

_ “If he was in danger, he would be screaming at the top of his lungs right now, so until then, he is fine and you need to relax. When the flames go out, be ready to catch him because this _ ** _will_ ** _ knock him out for at least a few days,” _CJ said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

At that prospect, it scared Evilys rigid. It isn’t something that is easily said and just accepted at face value.

Meanwhile, the light is securely in Sullivan’s hands, in his mind, and then the light did something abnormal; It dissolved into Sullivan’s hands, leaving him confused as to what just happened.

Then, the light appeared in his face, once colorless, is now burning a bright orange. The now orange fireball entered Sullivan’s chest and it all went black.

Outside as well, the two spectators saw the orange fireball and saw it enter Sullivan’s chest. The flames that engorged his body flickered, then faded. Sullivan collapsed on the ground before snoring soundly.

Now, CJ has to monitor his vitals very carefully, because done incorrectly, Sullivan could very well be in a coma for a long time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, in order for me to continue the story, a time skip will be used from the end of this chapter to the next. Alright?
> 
> Basically, I'm telling you that Sullivan will be fine... or will he?
> 
> Thank you for reading.
> 
> -Horus


	6. Violet Lights

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Twenty years have passed since Sullivan was accepted into House Angel, but now he must venture out and find himself. What will he find? Or will it find him?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I would like to apologize for basically ghosting, no pun intended, for the past week, but I had college work, Borderlands 3 just released on Friday and I wanted to play that. I have enjoyed the game, the minor performance issues didn't bother me, but I am so excited for the other Vault Hunters and other modes. _(Moze grenade gang btw)._
> 
> Once again, sorry about the wait. For now, enjoy!

** _Twenty Years Later, Venus, Ishtar region._ **

“Come on CJ, you know I can handle this, you did it twenty years ago, so why can’t you now?” Sullivan exclaimed.

“Because I don’t want you to die, you know the risks and yet you still take them, Sullivan! I don’t want to be the Ghost to have killed its Chosen! I want you to live, not die this early in your life,” CJ argued.

_ “Alright, what is going on here?” _ Vandal-now Captain-Evilys walked in to see the two glaring at each other. Captain Evilys now stands at seven and a half feet tall, and her body is definitely more feminine, to Sullivan at least. He learned the difference between a Male and Female Eliknsi and he’s learned how to speak the language properly, mostly, but for the majority of the language he understands. There are still some things that Sullivan cannot do or say.

One of those things being the mating call… Let’s just say that Sullivan didn’t speak to anyone that day after he accidentally did it. An incident that happened that CJ has not let Sullivan live down.

_ “Sorry Ma, but this one,” _ he pointed his thumb at CJ, _ “will not let me learn another element of the Great Machine’s gift. I’ve already mastered one of the elements known in the Galaxy, so why not have another one under my belt, as the old saying goes,” _Sullivan explained and he could see the look on Evilys’ face, even if he can only see her eyes. It was fear.

_ “Child,” _ oh boy, Sullivan’s about to get a lecture, _ “you know what happened after the first time?” _ Sullivan knew what Evilys was talking about. After acquiring Sol, a mass of scar tissue appeared on his left wrist, engulfing his entire hand. This happened because the Light had actually burned him, for reasons unknown. Even to CJ and he spent years searching as to why to no avail.

_ “You got burned and you were in a ‘coma’ for two weeks! Do you know how worried it made me? My mother? We had thought you died! I am not letting you go through that again! Your little machine is right to be concerned, this could kill you and I love having you around. So, please, my child, do not do this. While my word is not much, I am asking you to not risk your life for this ‘power’ you so claim. I do not want you going mad,” _Evilys told Sullivan in that motherly condescending tone that was warm, but also firm.

Sullivan shifted his feet at his adoptive mom’s tone. He wanted to speak but could not find the proper words to make a counterargument. _“Ma, you know why I have to do this. I need to learn, so in that way, when I eventually have to face other Risen,”_ _That_ silenced both CJ’s next coming words and Evilys, whose jaw was slack under her ether mask.

“Where did you hear that?!” CJ all but screeched at his Chosen.

Sullivan groaned, _ “You really thought I would never find out the atrocities that other Risen have done? I’ve heard the reports, and that is why I want to learn. In order to stop them. It isn’t fair to others, these Warlords are ravaging Earth and, I, for one refuse to leave the rest of my species to suffer under someone’s thumb.” _

_ “H-How long?” _ Evilys asked, her own voice shaking.

_ “I’ve known for the past two years and it is why I focus on my inner self. I’m searching for a clue to my own self, and I am close, but I need assistance from CJ. It is the only way I could learn, to improve, and to make the world safer for you,” _ Sullivan explained before hugging Evilys’ slightly shaking frame. _ “I want it to be safe for you, Ma.” _

CJ has never heard its Chosen speak in such a confident manner, with so much passion, so much conviction. CJ could hear Sullivan mumbling words of affection to Evilys, the Eliknsi that had cared for their Chosen for these past years. One sentence from Sullivan made the moment that much sweeter, _ “I love you, Evilys. You took me in when you did not have to, and without you, I would be so confused about the world, or I could have been dead. CJ may have revived me, but you and him combined have given me a second life that I would devote to protecting those that saved me. I want to return the favor.” _

Evilys began to shake in the way her emotions shifted at her child’s words. He only wants to protect the family he has. He refuses to let someone else tear his family apart. He held onto the person that he called his mother with an iron grip like if he let go she would disappear forever.

_ “I love you too, Sully… ” _

Sullivan chuckled, his voice dampened, _ “You know I dislike that name.” _

_ “Go… learn, but promise me that you will be coming back after,” _ Evilys was worried. She is not kicking him out. He is, however, ‘leaving the nest’ until he can figure this out. He does not want to leave but he has too. In order to keep them safe, he must venture out.

CJ knows why he is exploring. He could feel the remnant energy in the air and it was cold. It was not the ‘Darkness’. It is called Void, but Sullivan doesn’t know that, yet. CJ had seen some other Risen use this mystical violet energy and from what it can gather, those people are the ‘smart’ ones. Sullivan is not one of those people. His Sol Light is strong, almost natural to him, but if Sullivan is getting this pull, they may have more problems. Now, CJ is not calling Sullivan dumb or stupid, but he likes to explore the Wilds and find some interesting, yet mystifying puzzles.

* * *

There was always one place that Sullivan would always go back to, each and every time. A waterfall off of a cliff edge he called, ‘The Spot’. A generic name, Sullivan knows, but he does not know what to name it. So, he called it someplace so vague that a sense of place was established. It was somewhere he could always come back to. It was a place where he had found out his true discipline.

It was where he became a Hunter. The term is subjective, but with how Sullivan acted and showed that he could be stealthy, along with his innate ability to recognize and track local wildlife, he earned the name.

During his time here, Sullivan managed to collect enough scrap to make a vehicle. They, CJ and Sullivan, agreed to the name ‘Sparrow’. It was a small nimble little thing. Sullivan was still the same way but after years of training with Eliknsi, his body grew accustomed to the work and gained muscles as a result. Now, his body is still that of a child, but his mind is of a person in their mid-thirties. Physically, he grew four inches taller and finally fit comfortably in his armor. He never complained about it before because he couldn’t complain on the thing that his Ghost did not have enough materials to make a set of armor that could be adjusted to him. Eventually, he grew into it and made some marks into in.

The old armor was plain white when he got it, but now it was decorated in an assortment of colors. Some were of his own preference, others had blood on them from scuffles with other Houses who dared entrench on Angel’s territory, but there were distinct markings of the House symbol. Small, subtle, but to those with sharp eyes, they can see that Sullivan has allegiance to an Eliknsi house. Along his gauntlet, he marked how long he has been alive, each tick marking a year. CJ saved the date for him so that each year marks something special. In each mark, there is a secondary mark that has a Golden Age Roman Numeral in it. CJ said it made it more symbolic.

After saying his farewells with a promise to return, he departed on his Sparrow and headed towards The Spot to find himself.

“Do you plan on going back there one day?” CJ asked through Sullivan’s helmet radio.

“Yes, one day, but I need to find out why I’m feeling this way,” he sighed as he maneuvered around some high rocks, “I’m feeling a call to something and every time I get close, it pulls away.”

“I might have an answer to that,” CJ said sheepishly. The silence it received was CJ’s cue to elaborate, “It is called Void. I’ve seen other Risen use it and it is as helpful as it is dangerous. Those are some of what we Ghosts call Warlocks. They are able to use this mix of Light and Dark magic of sorts, and thus the Void. It legitimately makes no sense, but that is how it came to be. If you are getting this pull, I cannot help but be concerned about what is going to happen to you. The Void is unforgiving, one slip up and it could permanently hamper you,” CJ rushed out. 

When it got no response, that was when the worry increased tenfold, but a part of its being hoped that Sullivan would realize the risk and forgo this silly attempt. “You know I am still going to do this.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of,” CJ mumbled. Sullivan recognizes his Ghost’s concern, but this pull has started to come as an obsession. It is a huge chip on his shoulder. What made him want to find this is to stop the burning on his wrist. It’s begging for relief.

Sullivan had realized that CJ has a neural link to him and he loves it because it makes him not feel alone. He also had to block most of his feelings out so that CJ can convince him that he’s not ready. Sullivan has not had the easiest time dealing with his pain. The pain would only subside, not completely, at The Spot; it led Sullivan to believe that the answer is there, hidden _ somewhere _.

Sullivan dismounted his Sparrow, “We’re here, CJ. Come on, I think I have an idea of what I’m looking for now.”

“And what is that, oh wise one?” CJ teased.

A small scoff escaped Sullivan’s lips, “I just have a feeling, a gut feeling, and normally I’m not wrong about those.”

“There is always a chance for that,” CJ retorted as they arrived at The Spot. The Spot can only be described as something that came out of a postcard. A high cliff situated above the pair’s current position. That waterfall obviously fell into a lake that diverted into a stream and that stream flowed beyond Sullivan’s sight.

This place has been-is-important to Sullivan. It was here that he practiced his Light and managed to get a living flame in his hand. Most of the other Risen were lucky to find even _ sense _ their Light. So, having a flame appear in the palm of Sullivan’s hand was good enough.

Today, however, something felt off about The Spot today. Sullivan took several moments to look around and he saw nothing, but a flash of _ something _ caught his eye. It was beneath the waterfall. The amount of water that was flowing would rip Sullivan apart, according to CJ, but he has a feeling it won’t.

Sullivan spoke with a completely different tone than he normally does; it was dream-like, melodic, akin to one singing in a small voice, “There is something in the waterfall.”

CJ’s shell shifted in confusion, “I’ve told you that the current and velocity of the waterfall would kill you if you tried to enter, Sullivan.”

“I know, but I have a feeling that it won’t.”

“Are you sure about that? What if it’s a trap?” CJ asked, begging him to reconsider.

“It won’t be.”

It tried again, “How can you be so sure, and don’t say ‘gut feeling’ because I don’t buy it. I know they have worked for you, but I can’t find any _ logic _ behind it.”

“Don’t need logic when it comes to survival and finding new things. Remember, some things defy our logic and expectation,” Sullivan countered. He stood up and began walking to the base of the falls. Being careful, he stepped on rocks and boulders that he knows are safe, and is now standing mere feet away from the falls. The mist of the water and some minor waves splash onto Sullivan’s person to which he remained unaffected from.

He took a step closer and the most abnormal thing occurred; the water flow started to slow down, to part. It was _ opening _. CJ was about to say something but Sullivan held his left hand, groaning in pain as he stepped forward. “You’ve been masking your pain, haven’t you? You know you can tell me when you are in pain. I can do scans and find the problem.”

Gritting his teeth below the helmet, “Y-You can’t heal scar tissue, and this was from twenty y-years ago. Only here the pain subsided, but never went away, and _ this _ is new,” he gestured to the inside of the waterfall. Seeing inside through the water was this, in only what can be described as, altar. It had statues of long-forgotten people, but it felt cool in this place, compared to the Venus heat waves. The weather has always been a problem.

Sullivan stepped closer and closer to the waterfall and the water _ parted _ even more like it was inviting him inside. With each step, the thundering beat of his heart grew louder, the blood in his veins rushed to his ears, and his wrist is throbbing so much that he stumbled as his vision flickered to black for a split second.

“This is a bad idea, Sullivan!” CJ shouted but it looked like Sullivan wasn’t listening anymore, “Sullivan?!” No response. “SULLIVAN!” he shouted, releasing a high-pitched ringing sound. 

That snapped Sullivan out of it, only for a few seconds while he passed through the waterfall. The falls were only a mere pressure of what one would call a ‘sprinkling’. Sullivan continued to walk forward and could see a purple flare arise from the center of the alter. It felt as if he was being watched, yet there was no one else here aside from CJ.

Sullivan could feel the pain at a much more intense rate, he fell onto his knees as he reached the altar. He didn’t have time to absorb the details as his hand reached to the glowing violet light. His hand had a mind of its own and Sullivan tried to pull it back, but his body refused to listen to him. On his knees, he reached up and, in lack of a better term, slapped his hand right over the glowing light and felt the biggest pain in his entire life. His screams echoed inside the cavern, drowned out by the sounds of the falls. No one would come for him, no one could hear him.

His hand felt like someone was stripping the layers off, and leaving a husk, but with his screams, he couldn’t hear CJ telling him something. He is too occupied in trying to get his hand back.

No sooner than that, his hand latched free, the purple light faded from the altar, and Sullivan fell backward on his back. Sullivan lied there, feeling like someone ripped a hole in his voice, cut his hand off and then shrewdly sewed it back on. 

The only thing that Sullivan sees after that is looking over to his hand, seeing it covered in this ‘Void’ and his world went black.


	7. Somber Times

CJ could only watch on in horror as its Chosen screamed in agony. It didn’t know how to help, and it tried to reach out, but the Void reached out first. It was wrapped around Sullivan’s hand and it crawled up his arm. CJ had to monitor Sullivan’s vitals as this is the most crucial part of the process.

It’s also the most painful if Sullivan’s screams were any indication. CJ had to keep a level shell for this, if it screwed up, Sullivan will never wake up. CJ targeted Sullivan’s shoulder, where the Void hasn’t reached and focused on his entire arm, any matter in it, down to every microscopic cell. The purpose of this was to keep it from spreading when the potential host, Sullivan in this case, is out cold. It is easier for the host to wield and tame. You cannot control the Void; you tame and equalize the Void.

“Come on, come on, come on!” CJ chanted aloud to itself. Yet, the Void never reached the shoulder. It reached only to his elbow. It was there and then that CJ remembered where the scars on Sullivan’s wrist was truly. He lied to CJ. The scar was much longer and had much more scar tissue than Sullivan told it. “Sullivan,” CJ’s voice lowered, “How did you live with this much pain for the past twenty years?” 

Sullivan did not answer. He did not even move, nor stir. His mind was forced back into his deep subconscious. It is here that Sullivan learned what has happened to him. This Void Light is a new type of power, never before seen. Since the Risen and Warlords, no one has experienced a burst of Light. This burst of Light would be considered a ‘Super Charge’ later down the line. Sullivan would be the first Risen to _ ever _experience it.

The Void whispered into Sullivan’s mind, telling him it will be alright. Sullivan couldn’t comprehend nor trust what was said. All he _ could _ focus on was the fact his arm, up to his elbow, was glowing a bright purple. It was scorching his scars and _ only _ his scars, the rest of his arm remained unaffected. At the apex of his wrist, a shape was taking form. This form turned into a miniature crossbow, something that an assassin would use in older times. Sullivan couldn’t see nor hear anything; His sights were set on the crossbow in his left wrist, even more so on the energy forming on his palm facing down. There, a hidden blade was sheathing and unsheathing to let him know it was there.

The very next overwhelming sensation was the warm, burning flames of Sol. In his right hand came a gun made of pure unadulterated fire. The gun felt weightless in his hand, but heavy at the same time. This wasn’t just a gun; this was a gun made from the golden rays of the Sun. A gun made of _ gold. _ A shining light in the darkness that has descended onto the Solar System.

CJ could see Sullivan’s form twitching and from its perspective, it could see the Void moving about on his wrist and forearm, and it was a blade that was surrounded in Void Light. Even so, Sullivan barely moved. CJ then saw the Sol Light appear in Sullivan’s right hand and a fully formed gun was in its place. The gun itself has flames all over it, the embers at the tip of the flames extinguish and then re-ignite at the base of the gun. CJ is shell-shocked, literally. It can_ feel _ the Light rolling off him in waves. These waves classify as top tier tsunami level waves. CJ had to fly back to even comprehend it. Sullivan suddenly shot up and CJ could feel his heterochromia eyes on him. The visor depolarizes and the blue and brown eyes were not blue and brown.

The colors that stared down CJ are a burning crimson and midnight violet. One held safety while the other held danger. Two sides of him and CJ isn’t sure which side he prefers more. Soon, his eyes faded back to normal and the Light that was in his hands faded and Sullivan dropped to his knees before falling forward. Sullivan in a last-ditch effort put his hands in front of him and he managed to stay upright, mostly.

Sullivan finally came back to the land of the living and his breathing was heavy, like his lungs were working but they weren’t utilizing the air properly. Hitting his chest a few times, he sucked in a huge breath before rolling over and laying on the cold ground; his chest heaving.

“Sullivan? Sullivan, answer me for Traveler’s sake, please!” CJ’s voice echoed in the cavern, begging for Sullivan to respond. All Sullivan could do right now was flex his right hand and give CJ a thumbs up before dropping the hand and just breathing.

CJ ran a scan and tried to find anything that it could heal but all it was is physical exhaustion. It can’t handle that, only wounds and death really. You can’t heal aching muscles. At least, you can’t take the strain away. Ghosts can ‘massage’ the afflicted areas but are not able to relieve their Chosen completely.

Sullivan’s breathing normalized, finally, and he slept right there. CJ made no moves to shift him, “This must have drained much farther than I thought it would…”

CJ checked and checked again, and found that the Void is resting comfortably in his wrist and found a home in his scar tissue along his forearm. His Sol Light still resides in the rest of his body, except his arm.

The Void took over that sections and CJ will keep constant tabs on it; they do not want to have a power crisis on its hands. The Void is a beautiful thing, but if you stare at the Void, the Void will stare right back.

* * *

Sullivan groaned again and winced as he sat up, his ribcage felt like someone slowed downtime and shook his skeleton, but the muscles and flesh were in once place. Sullivan looked around to see he was still inside the waterfall right next to the altar. He was covered in spare blankets made out of some pelts Sullivan managed to find throughout the years. “Thank the Traveler! I thought you would never wake up and I got really worried and I-I… I couldn’t help but think it was my fault!” Sullivan was attacked by his Ghost’s words as CJ inserted itself into the crook of Sullivan’s neck.

Sullivan winced as he brought up his right hand to cup the shell and hold him close, “I’m not going anywhere yet, CJ.”

“Do you remember what happened?” CJ’s words were full of concern and… fear? Fear of what?

“Everything went black as my hand seemingly had a mind of its own. I couldn’t pull my hand back and I felt weird. I was in my head and I-I felt this ‘Void’ Light in my hand it had like a ‘crossbow’ and then in my other hand, there was this gun made of pure flames. I don’t remember much after that,” Sullivan explained, giving CJ a small push to float away.

“And CJ, you’re looking at me like I’m about to flip, so spill it,” Sullivan demanded as he stood up and stretched.

Wordlessly, CJ transmatted Sullivan’s left gauntlet off to reveal the scars. Sullivan cocked an eyebrow under the helmet before seeing what CJ was trying to convey. The scars were slightly healed like they were faded. Faded as in they were still there, but they were becoming just little white marks. Adding on to the fact that they now have a slight purple coloration on it. “What happened?”

“The Void happened. What I saw has put me on edge,” CJ trembled over its words. CJ floated over to a flat area of the cave. A portion of the wall was wide enough for CJ to project what happened.

Sullivan’s jaw slacked as he saw his visor depolarize and he could see the two different colored eyes that weren’t his own. That midnight violet eye puts a shiver down Sullivan’s spine. CJ ended the playback and reequipped the gauntlet from earlier. What made Sullivan’s eyes pop out of his skull was the crossbow on his wrist. It was a physical manifestation of it and he turned his wrist over to see a mechanism for a blade. On instinct, Sullivan flicked his wrist and out came the nastiest blade he has ever laid his eyes on. The Eliknsi blades did not look this _ cool _.

The blade was at least eight to eight and a half inches from hilt to tip and it was dual serrated. The edges looked very sharp and could do some lethal damage. The blade retracted and sat in a sheath that went down Sullivan’s palm. After checking himself over, he felt something in a thigh holster. When did he get a thigh holster? “CJ, when did I get a gun on my thigh?”

CJ flew around to inspect what Sullivan is talking about and lo and behold there sat a gun in a newly fashioned thigh holster. Sullivan reached for the gun and it felt warm to the touch. The metal of the gun wasn’t burning him, no, it was pleasant to hold. A gun that that felt just so _ right _to hold. “I saw you holding a gun just like this, does this mean…? Of course!” CJ exclaimed.

“Care to elaborate?”

“These new additions are conduits of the Light. They are the physical manifestation of the Light. While I can channel it to you, you can’t just summon it out of thin air, not yet at least. These are like ‘training wheels’ you could say. These are to help you attune to your Light. Soon enough, you won’t need them as I believe they are temporary,” CJ elaborated.

“So you’re saying I won’t be able to keep the knife? I’ve already grown to like it, CJ,” Sullivan pouted, the childishness coming back like a blast from the past. CJ’s optic softened.

“You know I could make a gun like that; we would need just a simple gun frame and I could potentially modify it so that it would look similar,” and Sullivan cheerfully nodded.

Sullivan hobbled outside and the waterfall parted once more, letting him out. CJ followed behind but before it did, it cleaned up the blankets and such. Sullivan waited by the entrance before leaving The Spot. They decided to not take the Sparrow and just walk through the wildlife.

“CJ, I have a question to ask and I don’t know how you would feel about it,” Sullivan shifted his weight from foot to foot as he walked. He does not get nervous easily when asking a question, but this one… This is one he fears the answer to.

CJ was silent, giving him a mental flick to tell him to ask it, “Would you be against leaving Venus and going to Earth one day?” CJ was shocked that he would even _ think _ of going to Earth. Judging by the amount of anger that was being deflected mentally, Sullivan sighed. “I thought that might be your reaction, but you even confirmed it for me, maybe not in exact words, but I am a Hunter, the Wilds are home just as much as anywhere else, but I want to explore, and I want to see the Traveler with my own eyes. I want to see this ‘savior of Humanity’ as you put it,” he argued his point.

“One day, maybe, but for now, what do you plan on doing now?” CJ inquired.

“Well, I plan on learning how to use these newfound powers and learn to control it. I think it was said about great power and responsibility or something of the sort,” Sullivan tried to sound wise but ended up butchering the saying. CJ is in full agreement that he does need to learn his powers and make sure nothing happens.

* * *

So, that is what Sullivan did for the next five years. He spent one year mastering Sol while the other four is spent on taming the Void. Sullivan manages to get a gun made of scorching crimson fire in his hand and fire off two to three shots. Some poor Eliknsi thought they could get the jump on him, but they quickly learned that Sullivan wasn’t to be trifled with. 

His armor gained five more marks and one of them is colored purple, while the first one, Mark I, is colored an orangish color, almost peach, representing getting the elements Sol and Void.

The Void stretches through the scars and pulses when a hostile entity is near, and when around Eliknsi that isn’t House Angel, he knows they mean ill intent.

He hasn’t contacted House Angel for a long time and Sullivan feels guilty for it, but with how he is, he tends to go off the grid more often. Sullivan added another House Angel symbol on his chest, with slight color variation. It blends in with his armor and gives him a sense of peace. That is where he felt safe.

While he was in the middle of a hunt, CJ appeared and it looked urgent. “What is it, CJ? More Eliknsi that are enclosing on us?” A shake of the shell, “Does it have to do with Eliknsi in general?” A nod, “Does it have to do with any I know?” A pause before a slow nod of ‘yes’.

Sullivan wasted no time springing up from his perch, leaping to the ground and doing a deft tumble, “Sparrow!” Sullivan shouted and moments later, Sullivan is blasting off towards the House Angel den.

On the way, Sullivan cursed himself and his ignorance. He cursed not checking up on them and not staying in contact. Sullivan said an Eliknsi prayer on his way, hoping that he is not too late.

Speeding past the landscapes, Sullivan was now in familiar territory. He sped by the ‘playground’ he used to play with other Eliknsi children, by the training grounds where he was put in the dirt more times than Sullivan would admit, and he sped by the hillside of where CJ found him. All these memories barraged Sullivan’s mind and small tears leaked out from his eyes under the helmet.

Sullivan is prepared to help them in any way possible, but what he sees threw him for a loop. 

The house Angel den is in shambles, their banners were burning and they were a lot of Eliknsi lifeless and Sullivan is terrified. _ “Mom…” _ he mumbled as he continued to search every square inch of the den. The Eliknsi responsible were both House Winter and surprisingly, House Exile. Why would they do this? No one ever knew where House Angel was located. No other Risen came here, not to his knowledge, but that didn’t stop him from cursing himself again. _ This _ time in Eliknsi and their language of curses were a lot more… _ explicit. _

Sullivan is scared at what he is going to find, and CJ is right there with him, this looks like a warzone, _ it was _ a warzone.

Going along the non-collapsed tunnels, Sullivan heard weak breathing. Across the room was an Eliknsi, clinging on to life. It is someone Sullivan knows. _ “MOM!” _

The Eliknsi looked over to the voice and she knew who it was, _ “Su-Sullivan…” _

Sullivan rushed over to his mom, _ “Mom, I’m so sorry! I thought you would be alright and I-I I’m sorry I did not come to check on you, but I do not have an excuse. I disappeared for years without a trace and I should have at least let you know that I was still alive and I-” _

_ “Sullivan, look at me. child,” _Evilys said, her four eyes twinkling, and not in a good way. She is dying and Sullivan can do nothing.

_ “It is not your fault, it was a collaborative effort between fellow Eliknsi and-” _Evilys coughed, but said nothing else.

_ “Who, Mom? Who?!” _Sullivan yells, desperate for the answer. Whoever did this will regret the day they were born.

_ “I-It was another Risen…” _the answer slammed Sullivan like a ton of bricks. Other Risen did this?! They slaughtered them without remorse.

_ “Where did they go?” _Sullivan pleads to Evilys, who looks bigger than in the past five years. She is most likely an Archon now, with her size.

_ “I have not the faintest cl-clue. Sullivan, promise me you wi-will live,” _

_ “W-What?” _

Evilys is dying, no doubt, but she can be relentless, _ “Promise me, ch-child.” _ As soon as she said this, she coughed and croaked as the final remnants of life were fading, _ “I l-love you, Sulliv-” _ Evilys’ eyes faded for the last time.

Sullivan became heartbroken and he cradled her head like she did when he was only newly Risen.

“Brilliant performance, would you say?” a voice said from within the cave. Sullivan stiffened.

“I agree, that was quite a show, brother,” a second, more feminine voice said as they both emerged from the shadows. “Do you see how much this kid is crying, it’s hilarious, like, do you see how much he cares for these alien freaks?”

The first chuckled, “I see, now can we kill him now, sister dearest?” Sullivan felt his Light rise to the surface.

“We shall,” the sister said as they walk ominously towards Sullivan.

When they came into arms’ reach, Sullivan let out a ferocious scream and the Light flared across his body. The two siblings were flung back and looked on in shock, “It’s a Risen!”

“You killed the only family I ever had! They did _ nothing _ to you and you slaughtered them for no reason!” a mischievous chuckled escaped Sullivan, “Now, you are trapped in here with me and I have plans for the two of you.”


	8. Destination: Earth

“Sullivan! Was that really necessary?” CJ shouted as he emerged out of the ruins of the cave. Sullivan gave any Eliknsi he knew a proper burial, but has said nothing as he _ disposed _of those two who helped slaughter his family. “Are you going to talk to me?”

_ “I will only speak the tongue of those who slaughtered my family when _ ** _necessary_ ** _ . I refuse to do so otherwise, and there is nothing you can say or do about it,” _Sullivan replied harshly in Eliknsi.

“Since I assume that you no longer want to be here, let us find a ship, maybe one of those two had one, we could get to Earth in no time flat,” CJ suggested.

_ “Fine, let’s go, I want to get off this planet. CJ, the memories are too much and it h-hurts,” _ Sullivan’s voice cracked and his shoulders dropped. The pain became too much, he cried. The pain of losing the only semblance of a family is a stinging sensation that wounds the heart. That will never be healed from now to forever. The only people Sullivan can rely on are CJ and himself now, he will trust no one else. 

“It turns out that their ships plural is only one, so that makes it easy. Come on, I’ll load up the coordinates to Earth, hopefully not overrun by other Warlords. Those two, from what I can gather, were twins and they ruled a small area on the mid-western side of the old United States. By technicality, since you bested them, you now own the land.” 

_ “Set a course for there then. I want to see how bad Earth really is,” _Sullivan grumbled.

“We’ll be there in a days’ time, so rest, after today, you need it,” CJ suggested. Sullivan nodded and snuggled into the pilot’s seat and leaned back. CJ got the blankets for Sullivan and let him go to sleep.

It left CJ alone in its thoughts and most of them scared the Ghost. Sullivan did not leave those two in one piece. CJ locked those under the heaviest encryption it could possibly do. The sounds of the screams were gut-wrenching. Those begged for mercy but it didn’t take. Their fate was sealed the moment they attacked House Angel. Sullivan is slumping into a depression now. His mood is considerably lower than normal. Meaning, who wouldn’t? Sullivan had just lost his family, the only family that he considered to be the ones to take care of him. CJ could feel those screams down to its core.

During the encounter, Sullivan’s Light engulfed his form. He became the most dominant being in the room, despite it being the opposite just mere moments beforehand. Sullivan let the Void be unleashed. His entire forearm was a burning violet and the blade had an ethereal extension. Sullivan lunged at them and skewered the male first. Then, he pulled out his gun and fired at the female. When Sullivan turned his back, they were revived. This development had angered Sullivan past the point of no return. While Sullivan doesn’t remember all the details, like his aftermath, those two were no longer alive, in any sense of the word. CJ is forever glad that he does not remember it, because if Sullivan asked, CJ would have to commit the grandest heresy of all Ghosts.

Lying to their Chosen.

* * *

“Sullivan, wake up, we are about to enter Earth’s atmosphere,” CJ cooed to the sleeping child.

_ “Let me sleep… I am exhausted and I do not remember why…” _ Sullivan trailed off seeming to have fallen asleep again. _ “I am comfy right now, and I need time to take it all it.” _

“You realize we are on a territory right; I have coordinates to the camp; shall we head off?” CJ asked.

_ “If it means a soft bed, then yes, please. I am just so tired of everything that happened. I wanted to keep the world safe for her, for them, and I failed,” _ Sullivan started shaking, shivering, even in his armor underneath the thick blanket. _ “CJ? Answer me this, did I kill them?” _

“What?” CJ felt a metaphorical blow hit right to its core. Could it lie right to its Chosen’s face?

_ “Your lack of an answer suggests I did. The worst part of it all, CJ,” _ Sullivan stood up, stretched, and looked right at CJ, _ “I do not feel any remorse over ending their lives. Now, all I feel is numbness, and a thirst for revenge on the Eliknsi responsible,” _ Sullivan declared with such lack of emotion that CJ disappeared out of fear.

_ “I know you do not think that revenge is not the right way, but they took away my family, _ ** _our_ ** _ family. Please understand that I do not want death to all, but only to those who wronged me. I will understand if you never want to speak to me again, but I would never bring myself to harm you. I just… have a hole in my heart now,” _Sullivan says as he walks to the back of the ship looking for supplies or anything useful here. Sullivan found a giant cloak that he could use to hide for now, well, for the little time he has now. CJ reappeared but kept its distance.

_ “I know you left my head, please understand-” _

“Listen, Sullivan, what I saw compared to what you remember are two different things. I saw your eyes, and they were _ not _ your eyes. They changed and I do not know how to stop you if worst comes to worst. I do not want to have to make that call,” CJ said, not making eye contact with Sullivan.

_ “I understand, and I would make the choice easier for you. If I do go mad or become unhinged, I-I want you to leave me and never look back. It would make the world a safer place if I was no longer a part of it. Not saying now, but if the worst-case scenario _ ** _does_ ** _ happen, do me that much and leave me,” _Sullivan said, once again, with no emotion, but the undertone means he is one-hundred percent serious.

“I accept those terms, but I will decide when enough is enough,” CJ argued back.

_ “Agreed.” _

The cargo bay door opened and Sullivan was greeted by a blue sky, mountains, and hilltops. On one of those hilltops looked like a settlement, maybe this is the one CJ mentioned. Upon exiting, the sound of multiple footsteps reached Sullivan’s hearing. Sullivan didn’t relent when the sound of a voice reached his ears, “Stop right there!”

Sullivan compiled but did not look in their direction, “Who are you, and where are the twins?”

_ “Should I speak and you translate, or should I head to more… extreme measures?” _Sullivan asked aloud, to seemingly no one, but CJ offered to say, “The first option.”

“What language was that?” The stranger asked.

Sullivan growled, clicked, and snarled before CJ, hidden from view said, “He says none of your concern, the twins are dead, courtesy of him, and I found out that they owned this territory. So in my own words, say hello to your new leader.”

“So... the twins are dead?” the stranger asked with hints of excitement, but quickly asked, “but what are you? The other two were some of those fancy-schmancy ‘Lightbearers’ and ruled with a strong dictatorship. No one really liked them but they offered a place, if that, to stay.”

Sullivan shifted and growled some more, then CJ translated, “So, you are saying that you wanted them to be dead?”

“Yes, which I need to ask, you are one of those Lightbearers too, aren’t you?” the stranger stated, but still posed as a question.

“He is, but I’m not,” CJ said.

“Well, I know you are those little things they call Ghosts. You don’t have to hide; we know they consider Ghosts their true friends and a complete heresy if someone else harms them. Trust me, people know what sort of punishment they would receive. You don’t have to hide,” the stranger said.

“Then why should I trust you?” CJ said as Sullivan is reaching for the revolver on his thigh.

The stranger sighed, “You can choose to trust me or not, but what I say is the truth. My name is Darrel and I’m also a Risen.”

That bombshell made Sullivan whip around and look to see if Darrel is lying. To see that Darrel is indeed not lying, his eyes told truth. _ “Fine, I believe him, ask him to show his Ghost, on the promise that no one around tries anything, because if he really thought I would not notice the six people surrounding me…” _Sullivan let out a laugh.

“He says that he’ll believe you if you show your Ghost and that he is not foolish to not notice the six others surrounding him,” CJ translated.

“So you’re one of the Hunter types, ones that see all, without seeing all,” Darrel said waving off his people and is clearly surprised. “Well, can’t argue with that, Tanya, come on out.”

A Ghost appeared before Sullivan’s eyes and a small fragile one at that. Its shell was almost completely trashed but still managed to cling to the core. Sullivan felt a stab of pity hit his heart because he would do anything to fix the shell.

_ “I see, CJ, come on out, but stay close, just because he showed me his Ghost doesn’t mean I should totally trust him,” _Sullivan growled. CJ complied and floated out of the big burly cloak and locked eyes with Tanya, she looked excited, but there was danger in her movements.

_ “I don’t like this either, Sullivan, she has fear rolling off her in waves. Fear of us no, fear of her Risen, most likely,” _CJ told Sullivan.

_ “This is one of those necessary times,” _Sullivan said to CJ before directing his attention to Darrel, “Is there a reason why your Ghost looks frightened? Not of me, but of you?” Sullivan gripped his revolver tightly as he awaited Darrel’s answer.

“She gets shy around new people, wasn’t your Ghost?” Darrel asked a seemingly innocent question; it was anything but.

“Alright, let’s test that theory,” Sullivan said before a round left Sullivan’s barrel and hit Darrel in the lower chest. “Tanya, if you would please heal him?” Sullivan asks, sitting down and waiting.

“I-I can’t,” is the timid Ghost’s reply.

“And why not?” Sullivan asked, feigning interest, but is waiting for his gut feeling to be true.

“He is-was- n-not my Chosen, he snatched me when I-I found her,” Tanya replied, scared of the outcome.

“That is what I thought, where is she now?” Sullivan asked holding out a hand, praying that she would calm down to an actual Chosen’s touch. CJ looked on and landed in Sullivan’s hand to prove it. Sullivan holstered his weapon and held out his other hand to try to coax Tanya to land. She floated forward, slowly before landing in Sullivan’s hand. CJ floated out of Sullivan’s left hand while bringing Tanya close. “We’ll find her, just lead us to her spark, I promise.”

_ “Did not know you had a sweet side Sullivan,” _CJ teased.

Sullivan cursed CJ in a light-hearted manner, while Tanya watched on in fascination as the two conversed. She feels safe in this person’s hands. They do not feel like she will be crushed if she said anything.

“W-What language is that?” Tanya asked.

_ “Eliknsi,” _ Sullivan replied.

“The Fallen?”

CJ chimed in, “They do not like to be called that, but yes. Sullivan learned it over the past twenty-five years. I still remember the days where you could not walk.”

Sullivan groaned loudly switching back to Eliknsi as a default, _ “I’m sorry muscle memory did not come in the package deal of being resurrected.” _

“Would I be able to translate this language?” Tanya asked, shifting her shell in Sullivan’s grasp. Sullivan loosened his grip slightly, normally when a Ghost fidgets in someone’s hand, they cannot move. Tanya floated up to CJ, “It would help to know what he says.”

“Sullivan?”

Sullivan shrugged, _ “Fine by me, just don’t let it slip,” _

CJ pinged Tanya with a beam whilst simultaneously transferring everything CJ knows about the Eliknsi language, including words, translations, and pronunciations. Tanya fell into Sullivan’s hand after that overload of information. “Sorry, I should have warned you.”

“I-It’s fine, just a head rush,” Tanya’s voice glitched.

_ “Next time, go slow and upload it into sections, CJ,” _ Sullivan said and Tanya understood every word.

The walk to the main village was quiet. Every single person took notice of the cloaked person traveling along the main road. It did not help CJ’s nerves that everyone was staring. _ “Where is the holding area, Tanya?” _

_ R-right, _ uhm _ , this w-way,” _ Tanya’s eye turned pink at her attempt to speak Eliknsi. Sullivan chuckled before Tanya led the way.

_ The prison area stinks _ , was Sullivan’s first thought. Even though the filters, it is nasty. _ “Find her,” _ Sullivan commanded, giving Tanya a push to go explore. Meanwhile, everyone else is screaming and yelling, cursing Sullivan out. Calling him ‘filthy trash’ and other words that Sullivan would not like to repeat. CJ hid right behind Sullivan’s neck in the cloak.

_ “Found her!” _ Tanya’s voice shouts from around a corner. The sight is one that Sullivan will forever have ingrained in his memory.

In light terms, there were a lot of women chained to walls. The bad news was the number of _ marks _ that were on them. Sullivan wanted to go back outside and let his Light take over. He would not tolerate it. It is no wonder why he has a bias towards the Eliknsi. They actually treated each other with respect. This… _ this _ is degrading. The women looked up and immediately cowered away, except one. The one Tanya was in front of. She was crying, Sullivan went over to see why. Sullivan reached up to the chains and snapped them in half, they were quite brittle, possibly due to rust. The woman looked into the helmet but didn’t lower her gaze.

Sullivan depolarized his vizor and locked eyes with the woman, “You are strong, just by the eye contact I can tell you don’t scare easy.”

“You pigs are all the same, taking what’s yours, doesn’t matter if someone laid claim to it first,” the woman spat.

“Well, if that is your version of a ‘thanks’, then I’ll take it over what those twins did to you,” Sullivan says nonchalantly.

“Wait, the twins? They’re dead right?!” the woman gripped Sullivan’s arms, her eyes dropping the act and showing him the true fear she has.

Sullivan cursed as he gazed upon the woman, “They are dead alright, and honestly, I don’t remember _ what _ I did, but they definitely are not coming back. I, unfortunately, made sure of it.”

“Unfortunately?! Thank the Traveler for it! Do you know what they did to us?!” the woman screeched as all the other women cowered away even more.

“It’s hard to not see the marks they left on you, physically and psychologically,” Sullivan says calmly. “How do you think I felt taking someone’s life when I myself am a child?”

“W-What?” the woman asked.

“Well, CJ here,” Sullivan gestures to the Ghost peeking out from the cloak, "revived me as a child, yet, I have more life experience than most. I learned the hard way when it came to other Risen, trust me on that. Right now, I want you all out of here, it smells,” Sullivan scrunched his nose beneath the helmet.

“What is your name, madame?” Sullivan asked respectfully. “Better yet, do you remember your name?”

“I-I got visions and I heard the name… ‘Lyla’.” the woman, Lyla, said.

“Good enough, I’ll need to get you all set up in a spot so that way you can all recover.”

Sullivan unlocked or broke all the chains holding them and found some cloths that would cover them up until Sullivan could find more suitable articles of clothing. _ “This was absolutely messed up. I have lost all faith in Humanity after this. I don’t understand how people could do this to others!!” _ Sullivan screamed as he reached ground level.

He was met with a lot of angry settlers demanding what he was doing in the ‘house of pleasure’. Sullivan’s emotions got the best of him and his Light flared. **“Enough!”**

“You call yourselves humans, but you take advantage of others?! You all sicken me, you are all lucky I do not execute you all right now and do not doubt me, one wrong move and someone will be eating dirt! His left hand was twitching as it begged to be fed.” Silence is the answer Sullivan received.

“Your ‘leaders’, those twins are dead, by my hand, because they murdered people close to me, and now I will instate my rightful place as your new leader, if you have a problem, say it, but think before you speak,” Sullivan’s Void arm raised up, like it was searching for the first victim.

One fellow, middle age, came up and said, “Who would let a child lead us?” That was a mistake. To those who watched on, Sullivan was there one second and the next, the blade pierced the man in such a way that he would live, but not if he did not get help. 

**“Anyone else have something to say?”** Sullivan is fuming. “There _ will _ be rules established around here, and if I find out you break one, then you will get worse treatment. I was brought up better than this, but you all bring out the worst in me. I want to make sure we all survive, I want you all to be better, not acting like _ animals _,” Sullivan finished his speech before having CJ heal the man he stabbed. “Do that again, sir, and you will not get healed. Even aliens have treated others better than you.”

“What do you mean, aliens?” the man asked, wheezing from the shock he just experienced.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, I'll explain this vow as it might be confusing to some. Sullivan speaks Eliknsi most of the time, but when it calls for English, Sullivan will speak it at the appropriate times, as most don't know what Eliknsi even is. I had it written where he wouldn't speak English at all, but then I would have to keep saying
> 
> 'CJ Translated "yada yada yada"' a lot and I for one did not want to type that, so uhm, give me a pass on this, pl0x, thank you.
> 
> Also, let me know if it would be necessary to up the rating, as I feel like I am riding a thin line here.


	9. A Visitor or Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sullivan has stabilized the village and living there has improved. Then, two visitors arrive. What could they want?

Months later, everyone seems to have accepted Sullivan’s way of running things. He had those who frequented to the ‘House of Pleasure’ were subjected to staying in there for every week they visited. If it was daily, the time was doubled. Most, if not all, of the people who were in there, were already out.

There are some big offenders and it was a couple of people who were in their early twenties. They stayed the longest and they learned to never take advantage of anyone ever again. This village has seen more peace than anywhere else. So much so, that it expands three miles at its widest point. It _ was _ at one mile, but with so many rumors going around, all of them good ones, the population expanded.

Multiple other Risen, ones who seemed newly revived came to Sullivan to ask for guidance. Each one gave questions to Sullivan and he said, _ “This is funny that they think I am a God of some sort. No, the opposite is true. I was in your situation at one point in time. I know what it is like to be new to this world and be confused at every little thing, but that might just be me as my brain was still in its adolescent stage of development.” _

Most of the newly Risen were confused, but CJ translated the rest of the conversation for them. Sullivan explained that he is not to be put on a pedestal. Sullivan only requires order, otherwise, people are free to learn and explore. Free to come and go.

Sullivan turned serious and he gives the group a glare from under his helmet. _ “Do not cross me, I can sympathize and empathize, but when you betray my trust, you’ll see a whole other side of me that will haunt your dreams for years.” _

Each one of them, the seven of them, all looked on in fear. Who knew a kid could instill that much fear with just a few words. Three of them were Exos, who didn’t remember their names so they came up with other names that suited them. The other four were Human or Awoken, Sullivan isn’t quite sure on who’s who, but as long as they do not try anything, then they should be alright.

Sullivan even offered to help them see if they can attain the Light. Sullivan outlines that there is no guarantee that they will get it on the first try. Some might get lucky; others may find that they are natural at it. It only matters that they accept that they are Risen.

Most of the newcomers find Sullivan to be an easy person to approach. The morale of the village has gone straight up since then. No one has caused problems; visitors have been easy and relaxing to deal with. Save for a few minor mishaps, nothing detrimental happened as of yet and _ that _ makes Sullivan concerned.

In Sullivan’s private room, CJ and Sullivan are conversing about this feeling. “Listen, nothing has happened, so why are you so worried?”

_ “CJ, it is because nothing has happened that worries me. Something is bound to happen. I do not want to be caught off guard again. The last time I did was the reason House Angel was killed. I refuse to sit by and let it happen to the people of this village.” _ Sullivan has also made sure that the people know how to defend themselves. They know the basics of self-defense and a numerous amount of people show prowess with firearms. Yet, to Sullivan, it did not feel like enough, _ “I am terrified of what _ ** _will_ ** _ happen. The safety of the people is not guaranteed, and this stresses me out. I have been feeling off for the past few weeks.” _

“Do you know why, any indication? Any hints when you self-reflect?” CJ asked, wondering what is going through Sullivan’s mind. They have a neural link, but when CJ uses it, it goes into Sullivan’s private thoughts. Such thoughts are not meant for CJ’s knowledge. There are boundaries that even AI companions should not cross.

_ “None, all I can feel is my Light and how much it is itching for a fight. For it to be utilized in defense of people. I honestly do not know if I am going to be able to defend these few hundred people, and CJ, it will push me to my breaking point if I fail,” _Sullivan says, his voice detached from how he actually feels. It brings him sorrow just thinking about what happened on Venus. Sullivan does not want a repeat of that.

Someone burst into the door, out of breath, coughing, “Chief, we have visitors, they-they demanded to see you.”

CJ answered, “How many?”

“Two.”

_ “Did I tell you or did I tell you? I swear if these people want a fight, then I will let them have it. After all, these people deserve a safe life after what they experienced,” _Sullivan yelled.

CJ had no further arguments as it transmats the big cloak over Sullivan. It covers all of him and dismissed the gentleman who came in. Sullivan told him to go have everyone ready, but do not mobilize; he is erring on the side of caution.

Walking through the village, Sullivan took the less scenic route but wanted to get behind them so if they think about leaving, then they could forget it.

The two people stayed outside the main gate of the village. Sullivan took one of his secret ways out of the ‘fortress’ to greet his guests. The gate watcher asked what their business here is. They may accept refugees, but that does not mean that they _ trust _ them. It is what has kept this place safe from everyone.

One of the two visitors spoke, they had a cloak, similar to Sullivan’s but they were a lot taller. “We have come to seek the console of the Chief of this village, we have heard many rumors, good ones, and we are hoping to speak with them,” the stranger said. Their voice gave off a calming effect, they meant every word they said, but that does not mean that Sullivan should trust them.

The other visitor must have either heard something or sensed Sullivan’s gaze on them because they turned around and they had a helmet that was white and orange, two horns, and Sullivan could not see the facial expression on them, but something told him it was a smirk. “That is quite clever, but I knew you were there from the moment you left,” the person said to Sullivan.

Sullivan stepped out from his hiding place and walked onto the main road. Sullivan said nothing, he kept his hood up, but his hand trailed down to his holster, hovering over his gun. His other hand waved off the people. They hesitantly complied which led to a wave of shock emitting from the visiting pair. They did not expect someone so small to get them to heed to his orders. The gate opened and Sullivan took strides past them before beckoning them to follow. CJ took scans of them and saw that the pair were Risen. Normally that would have told Sullivan to not let them in, but with the calming aura one of them had, it swayed his decision ever so slightly. Sullivan only showed his hand and had a couple of people follow him to the ‘guest’ house.

This guest house is just a small house meant for actual guests, the uninvited guests, however, get a worse welcome. Sullivan guided the pair inside. The one with the horns barely fit in the door and Sullivan could not help but chuckle. Maybe a bit louder than intended. The one who spoke regarded the cloaked Sullivan with inquisitive eyes, even beneath their mask.

The guest house had some lowly furniture, but it had a couch and a couple of old rocking chairs. Even in these times, there are still a need for standards.

The one who spoke at the gate broke the silence, “So, I know the former leaders of this settlement are no longer with us, and the rumors surrounding this settlement have been nothing but good since then. Some may call it farfetched how in a few months, everything has turned around. I must say they have you to thank for that.”

Sullivan only nodded in confirmation but said nothing else but Sullivan could not hold back the one question that was nagging him, “You are all Risen, so why are you _ really _ here and what do you want?”

The one with horns looked shocked and bewildered, while the one who spoke before only nodded, “Only other Risen can sense other Risen, so I ask you the same thing.”

“None of your business uh- Forgive me, I never got any of your names. I would be failing my job if I didn’t at least know my guests’ names,” Sullivan said sharply, but also a tone of sorrow. That tone easily picked up by the duo.

“I do not have a name, but a title that I go by. I assume you felt unusually calm when you met me,” Sullivan nodded his head slowly, waiting, “and that is because I am the one who speaks for the Traveler.”

Sullivan is silent, CJ found out that it was true. This person, this ‘Speaker’, felt like the one who was the Traveler incarnate but felt like a small portion of what the Traveler actually felt like. The next person spoke, his voice booming and dominating, “My name is Shaxx, a pleasure to make your acquaintance, young one.”

Sullivan looked at him with a raised brow, before showing him his arm full of marks before speaking, in Eliksni, _ “Each mark represents a year I was alive. I do not know how long you have been alive, but I plan on keeping track from now until I die.” _

The two of them looked at Sullivan in a slightly defensive manner, “Watch it you two, you are in my village, and if you cannot accept that I can speak a language that you seemingly recognize as ‘bad’, then I will escort you out. Otherwise, do not make assumptions, but you should know that I lost a lot of my faith in Humanity. Especially when those _ twins _,” Sullivan spat in disgust, “arrived and slaughtered those close to me. The ones who cared for me were the ones who showed me what true compassion was, now...”

Sullivan has no idea why he was telling them this, but it most likely has something to do with the fact that the calming aura extended to him and touched his soul. The Speaker could feel the anguish, the pain radiating from Sullivan’s soul. Shaxx did not beat around the bush, “The Fallen raised you, didn’t they?”

“Shaxx, that is not-” The speaker was cut off as Sullivan raised his gun and leveled it at Shaxx. Sullivan’s multicolored eyes burned right into Shaxx’s helmet.

“They are called _ Eliknsi _ , and they are barely surviving as is,” Sullivan lowered the gun and signed. “Yes, they raised me, taught me how to survive, and then I learned about the Warlords, and their _ sickening _morals. They didn’t even exist. They killed everyone…” Sullivan trailed off as his mind was brought back to Evilys’ lifeless corpse.

His Void Light flared in his hand and the blade came out, the blade went from his wrist to the floor, at least the ethereal blade. The actual blade stopped right below Sullivan’s knee. This made Shaxx and the Speaker look at Sullivan. The Speaker could sense that this Risen has the power of two elements in him, but they work together as one.

Sullivan forced the Void to calm down, he did not need to have a mental break but Sullivan will definitely not be sleeping tonight. He thought he suppressed those memories. Apparently not.

“Your Light is certainly different, young one,” Shaxx spoke after witnessing the spectacle that was the Void Light. “You seem like a Hunter and the Void is rare for you lot. Do you mind if I ask where you found it?”

“Venus.”

The Speaker’s eyes widened but kept a cool composure, “The twins were on Venus? Why?”

Sullivan shrugged, “I have zero clues, but they came and killed the Eliknsi I called family and they stole that innocence I had.” Sullivan looked out the window into the village he helped repair.

“They didn’t-”

“No, not that kind of innocence.” Sullivan’s heart rate raised rapidly, “The innocence of life. They took that away. It was the first time I saw much more blood than I ever want to see. Moving on, what is the _ actual _ reason for your visit? I normally would have already kicked others out by now, but for some reason, CJ doesn’t want you to leave.”

“Not my fault, this is the only other time I have seen other Risen that _ aren’t _ trying to kill us.” CJ’s voice said aloud but it was nowhere in sight.

_ “You know as well as I do that everyone could kill us given the chance. I know you feel the opposite, but think about what I feel. My mind is that of a child, and when our trust is broken, we develop severe trust issues. There will be some habits that are hard to break,” _ Sullivan explained to CJ. Sullivan knows that the pair behind him cannot understand the language, so it makes talking about more _ personal _ issues easier.

Sullivan then turned around, like nothing had happened and asked respectfully, “As a sign of good faith, please show me your Ghosts. I need to know I’m working with _ actual _ Risen.”

Shaxx belted out, “People have tried to disguise as Risen?!”

“This seems like news to you. I had shot someone who tried to pull the wool over my eyes. I then took the Ghost back to their Chosen, because even though I act like I have zero emotion, there does lie a heart beneath the surface,” Sullivan says making direct eye contact with Shaxx; their helmets not giving away their facial expressions.

The Speaker’s Ghost looked normal in its white shell, but the top and bottom shell protectors were extended to about a half-inch off the core. Lord Shaxx’s Ghost has the small shell structure as the Speaker’s but there were four spikes protruding out of the back of the shell, giving it a cactus look, in Sullivan’s mind.

CJ appeared and floated over to its fellow Ghosts. CJ looked happy and seemed to be much more exuberant than when Sullivan learned of House Angel’s fate. Obviously CJ would be, that was the lowest point Sullivan was at. Every day, he can get better if someone or something does not remind him of it.

“We will leave you to it, we had just wanted to confirm a rumor,” the Speaker said.

“I have not heard many rumors, so which one was it?” Sullivan asked, his childlike curiosity not escaping him.

“We wanted to see if the rumor of the Chief who completely turned one of the worst villages to be in, no offense to you, and we are happy to see that rumor no longer be a rumor,” Shaxx answered, his baritone voice ringing throughout the room.

Sullivan smiled under his helmet, and that statement right there made Sullivan’s chest swell with pride. So, he has done some good, but that hole that plagues his heart will never be filled.

* * *

“So, Speaker, what did you think of the new Chief?” Shaxx asked his lifelong friend.

“Certainly an interesting character. Yet, he is wise for his age. For only having the body of a child, he adjusted well,” the Speaker commented as the two walked outside the gate. “The way he handled Void Light is concerning to me. You saw the construct that was produced, Shaxx, and you know that is not, what we call, ‘natural’.”

“Yes, I noticed. He did say he was on Venus and the Fallen were everywhere. Maybe he found it when he needed it to survive,” Shaxx countered.

“Did you see the way he reacted when you asked him if the Eliknsi raised him?” the Speaker inquired to its counterpart.

“I did, and I saw the fire burning in him; he will be helpful when we finish the City. We could use more like him,” Shaxx said as the grass crunched beneath his feet. The giant man stood at seven feet tall, while the Speaker was quite a bit shorter.

“Yes, but did you hear the longing and _ sorrow _ in his tone? They were nothing but kind to him, and judging by the fact he is not on Venus, where they presumably were and the twins are dead, it is safe to say they entrenched on his land and killed the only family he ever knew,” The Speaker was silent for a brief moment before adding, “Did you also notice how many marks were on his arm?” Shaxx scoffed but nodded, nonetheless.

The Speaker continued, “That child has been through more things than most would ever admit. When the City is built, we will ask him to be there, but if he refuses, then let him be. May the Traveler embrace him.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know if you enjoy this. I still have an idea to continue on, but that requires a time skip in the near future, probably next chapter.
> 
> Anyway, Happy Reading!  
-Horus


	10. Personal Dilemma

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Weeks after the visitor's depart, Sullivan is having...temper issues and he needs a solution stat, but will he leave behind those he cared for?

The conversation with the two strangers stuck with Sullivan for the next three weeks. No one has managed to make Sullivan feel that calm in years, and he knows it. Lyla and Tanya have also noticed that Sullivan has become slightly more agitated lately and she decided to confront him about it.

The Chief’s house was the same as any other house, Sullivan did not want anything fancy when he lived with his people, not his subjects. Anyone who referred to them as ‘subjects’ was issued a warning, nothing more. The house itself was fitted with a bed for Sullivan and one Sullivan fashioned for CJ. If Sullivan gets to sleep in comfort, then so should CJ. 

“Sullivan, you have been like this since they left, can you let me know what is going on?” Lyla asked, concerned for her Chief. Sullivan’s Void Light has been more active than before and it concerns CJ as well. The elder Ghost has been checking on his arm lately and found that is has extended up to his mid-arm a little bit more, just below the elbow, past his scars.

_ “I honestly have no clue. I feel as if I am slipping, hence why I have not been out and about lately. I am still figuring myself out, there is still so much I have to learn and I feel like those two could help me,” _Sullivan said, not making eye contact. Lyla is one of the rare ones to see Sullivan without his helmet. She gets to see the real Sullivan. His differently colored eyes show a wide assortment of emotions, pain, longing, and conflict.

Tanya translated for Lyla before looking at him in disbelief, “You and I both know you are the level-headed one here. Without you, there would be no village. Without you, people would not be alive. _ Without you _ , I would _ still _ be down there,” Lyla pointed in the direction of the prison, her voice breaking slightly at the end, being reminded about her trauma that she endured.

Sullivan sighed and ran his hand down his baby face, _ “I understand that, but you also have to think about it from my point of view, _ Lyla. _ The way I should have acquired my Light is different than how I _ ** _actually_ ** _ acquired it. It should have been natural, not like this where one half of my body is slowly taking over,” _ an aggravated sigh of frustration left Sullivan’s mouth. _ “I will one day have to leave you all for the better. I cannot and will not put you in danger, not while I am inside these walls.” _

Tanya could see CJ shrug his shell, but she does not agree with her fellow Ghost as she translates it to Lyla whose mouth flops open and close like a fish out of water, “Can’t you learn to control it?!” It was not meant to carry an accusatory tone, and Sullivan did not interpret it as one.

_ “You cannot control the Void. To do so means you have become the Void itself. The only thing I can do is tame it and pray it does not spread further. I am, however, touched by your concern,” _Sullivan turned to face Lyla, his facial expression softened to prove his point.

The only habit she cannot make him break is the fact he speaks in Eliknsi every time someone has a heart to heart with him. Lyla does not understand it, but Tanya does. It is the only connection he has to the family he once knew. Tanya decides it is better for her to keep this information to herself.

“Sullivan, you know we can try to help you with that,” Lyla said in a soft voice. One that Sullivan remembers hearing a lot of so long ago. Sullivan’s eyes cloud up with memories of the past, of all the times he spent with her. His adoptive mom. The pain of losing her still gets to him, even after all these years. Not a day goes by where Sullivan does not think about House Angel. Sullivan absentmindedly traces the House Angel symbol on his chest piece, thinking about her. The only one to give him a sense of security.

_ “I need to find those two, I need to see what they have to offer. If I do not, then I could very well spin out of control,” _ Sullivan says, his voice wavering but carrying a tone of finality. It feels like someone socked Lyla in the chest. That feeling of hurt and betrayal.

“So, that’s it then? You’ll just leave us? _ Abandon _us?!” Lyla screeched.

_ That _ . That is something Sullivan won’t take standing. In a flash, he pushes Lyla against a wall, his Light coming alive once more and the Void Blade was shimmering in the natural light of the room. Sullivan speaks English for the sake of simplicity, “I am _ not _ abandoning you! I am _ trying _ to keep you safe and it is better for me to be out there, risking my life, so I do not risk _ yours _! Why can’t you understand that, Lyla?!” Sullivan’s voice boomed, causing both Ghosts present to intervene.

Lyla got a good long look into Sullivan’s eyes, except they weren’t blue and brown with a tinge of green, even so much as it was hazel. They were the midnight violet and burning crimson that CJ encountered the first time that Sullivan found the Void. In his eyes, the color balance seemed equal as the balance would imply, but either it was reflected off the light or her eyes were playing tricks on her, Lyla swears on her life that she saw a flash of purple in the ‘eye of fire’. Sullivan sees the look in her eyes, that look of _ fear _. She can try to hide it but Sullivan saw what he needed to see. Sullivan spoke after a few minutes of awkward silence, “Do you see why now? Do you see why I have to go? Why I have to leave you behind to keep you safe?”

Lyla does not answer verbally, only nodding to his questions.

“What color were my eyes?” Sullivan asks, out of the blue.

“What?”

“What color were my eyes when I got angry?” Sullivan clarified, his voice distant.

Lyla thought about lying to him, but that would not fly because Sullivan knows when someone is lying to him, even through the blankest of faces. “They were not your natural eye color if that is what you are asking.”

“What was the color balance?” Sullivan pushed. He is fearing the answer because if it is the answer he thinks it is, he will have to accelerate his plans. His plans to seek out this Speaker for answers.

“I saw the midnight violet and this color, to which I can only describe as the ‘eye of fire’, but I also _think_ I saw a flicker of purple in your eye. I don’t know whether or not if it is true,” Lyla admitted sheepishly.

Sullivan cursed in Eliknsi and shouted something to CJ. Their plans would have to accelerate even further now. Even if this is proven to be false, there can be no risks taken. Sullivan needs to leave. If he stays, then everyone is at risk of being caught in the unintentional crossfire. This is something he does not need on his subconscious; he has enough on it already.

_ “I need to leave, in the next two days. I need to make a formal announcement in a few hours’ time. Tanya, stop translating. I know you are. Just let Lyla know that I need privacy,” _ Sullivan said aloud, knowing Tanya was translating the Eliknsi speech, getting ready to convey it to her Chosen. _ “Just tell her to have everyone assembled in three hours.”_

* * *

Those three hours passed by in a flash, Sullivan preparing a speech, CJ preparing all the items necessary for travel. They would have to travel light if they do not want to be slowed down. It is imperative that they make it to their destination. That destination is wherever the Speaker and this Shaxx character are.

Sullivan stepped up on to the central platform of the village, where he could see everyone was here. Everyone is wondering why this meeting was called into place, and for what reason. A reason that restricts Sullivan’s heart. It hurts him that he has to do this, but the risks that run rampant in his brain solidify his reasoning, however flawed it may seem. To Sullivan, he believes that he is making the right call.

“Hello, and Welcome,” Sullivan starts in English, which surprises the entire village, as most of them know that he speaks another language entirely when they converse with him. “I know it surprises many of you that I am, in fact, speaking a language that you can understand. However, I am calling this impromptu meeting because I will be leaving soon.”

Many gasps and protests were heard, but Sullivan put up his hand to silence the crowd. “Ever since the two visitors left, I have felt on edge. I have snapped at people for little things that did not bother me at all in the slightest. I have been on a short fuse for these past three weeks.” A sigh as the next words tumbled out of Sullivan’s mouth, “My Light is a mixture of two elements. To some, one of these elements is considered natural. To others, it is considered dangerous. When my emotions are factored into this equation, I become volatile and dangerous. Which leads me to the reason I am leaving… I, as a Chief, cannot lead my people if I am on the verge of lashing out and possibly injuring one of you. I know you may think I could control it, but that is far from the truth. No one controls the Void.”

Sullivan paced on the stage as CJ took note of everyone’s reaction. Most of CJ’s fellow Ghosts were asking it why and CJ gave them the real reason, his Chosen is putting others’ wellbeing over his own. Sullivan does not want to put those that he considers family in danger.

“I fear that the Void will take control and make me lash out, and for your safety and my own, I will be leaving in less than a day’s time. When I depart, I am making Lyla here,” Sullivan waved a hand to Lyla on the right of the stage, “the new Chief. She has been by my side since I arrived here. Know that this means you treat her as if she was me. If I receive word that she is not getting respect, then I will be back like the phantom in the night to correct it,” Sullivan threatens the populous. Most are shocked at what they heard. No one says anything for a moment. No one speaks up. Sullivan’s eyes are searching the entire crowd, waiting for someone to speak out.

No one does.

Sullivan continues, “I only ask you to respect her. She has been the one who has saved me from myself, believe it or not. She saved me when I was losing myself. For now, I will be departing to see if I can find those visitors from three weeks ago. They may contain the answers to the questions I have and I need to do this alone. You may discuss this amongst yourselves, but please no slandering. I also want to thank you all for being there. To those that I helped, saved, or just interacted with over the course of my time here means the world to me. Whether my heart wants to admit it or not, you are _my_ _ family. _My family.”

With that, Sullivan walked off stage and disappeared out of sight for the remainder of the day. The child spent the night packing ever little essential that CJ may have missed.

* * *

“Ready to go?” Sullivan asked CJ.

“I’m ready, Sullivan. Ready for the next chapter in our lives?” CJ asked in return. Sullivan was packed with food, water, knives, a small hammock, his guns, and his knowledge of the wilderness. Sullivan is more than ready to face the challenges that await him.

Sullivan began to ponder what questions he would have. Many of which he did not know how to phrase, but what he really needs is the calming aura of the Speaker. That aura that, presumably he, had was one to take any aggression that would have had Sullivan bouncing off the walls, and pacify it within seconds. It felt like a miracle had passed through his body. Never had Sullivan felt that calm, even with House Angel, but Sullivan is a little bias. He would have to return to the site to properly mourn since Sullivan left in quite a hurry.

Sullivan traveled due east as he was flying through the air. The air, one may ask, but how? Well, the ship that Sullivan had was dismantled and used to make Sparrows. These sparrows were actually made for the kids. Tested and safe to use. Sullivan took the beefier components to make a supercharged Sparrow. This has gained the name ‘Eagle X-1’ as it felt as if Sullivan is flying like an eagle. So far, he has passed by three other settlements but did not stop to stay. He merely asked the gatekeeper if they spotted two cloaked figures pass by in the last three weeks. None of them said they did and it makes Sullivan press on,

There are potentially hundreds of places that they could have gone in three weeks. CJ assembled a topographic map of the area in a three weeks range outside of the village. Sullivan has explored most of the northern range but has yet to go to the southern area yet.

Sullivan needed sleep, but he could not stop until he found a place until he felt safe and being out here, in the wilds, with nothing but him and his wits, could spell trouble, and not necessarily for Sullivan. Sullivan rode on for the next hour finding another settlement that he could possibly hunker down in.

Sullivan stopped outside the premises and dismounted his sparrow; he was sorting his bags on the Sparrow when the faint click of a chamber being loaded alerted him. “State your business,” a cool, calm voice said.

Sullivan raised his hands above his head and turned around to see about fifteen people pointing guns at him. A watchtower above him put a spotlight on him, effectively lowering his visibility. Being dark now makes the light much more annoying. Sullivan did not expect to be held at gunpoint for simply stopping. “Are you going to speak? I detest repeating myself,” the same voice said.

Sullivan wanted scream Eliknsi curses but obliged, “I’m looking for two visitors that came to my village three weeks and one day ago. They had come to see if a rumor was true. I did indeed prove that rumor was true, and ever since they left, I have not been myself. One of them gave off an aura that calmed me when I was on the verge of lashing out. I came here, searching to find them to ask them questions, to ask for guidance. _ Also, a place to sleep, _” Sullivan muttered to himself in Eliknsi.

“Zavala, stand down, it is him,” a new voice said. One that Sullivan recognizes as Shaxx.

“Shaxx? Is that actually you and not someone who sounds like you?” Sullivan said in an attempt to humor his situation.

The voice scoffed, “Do I really sound that similar?!” 

“Okay, it is you. Can I... uhm… out my hands down now? The blood is rushing out of them and I kinda cannot hold them much longer,” Sullivan said, losing feeling in his arms.

Sullivan was thoroughly searched and found that his knives were no longer on his person, thanks to CJ. As soon as he was cleared he was allowed to keep his Sparrow under lock and key. Anyone who tried to fiddle with it would get nine volts of shock therapy. Any Ghost who tried would receive a smaller dose of voltage, around one volt. Sullivan does not like sharing his toys.

Entering a tent in a secluded corner of the village, Sullivan is met with quite the surprise. “I knew you would seek me out. The Traveler predicted your arrival, young Sullivan.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay for cliffhangers. Don't expect a chapter throughout this week. I have a test Thursday and Shadowkeep is in less than 14 hours at the time of this note. Enjoy the chapter and Happy grinding, Guardians!
> 
> -Horus


	11. Self-Adjustment

Sullivan’s gaze locked onto the Speaker, who is not in the garb they were in when they visited the village. They were wearing white robes that flowed down their person and a mask with a set of three slots on each side, where one’s cheeks would be. Sullivan gazed on while CJ communicated with the Speaker’s Ghost. Sullivan broke the staring match as he asked, in Eliknsi,  _ “What do you mean ‘predicted’ my arrival? You knew I would try to seek you out, yet you did not let me know?” _

Sullivan is shocked once more as the Speaker nods and responds without hesitation, “You are conflicted with your Light. You feel as if you will succumb to the Void when in reality, that is all you need to do. In order for you to find balance, you must become unbalanced first, young Sullivan,” the Speaker said in a voice that his Light awakened and became two separate entities.

These entities were only visible to Sullivan,  _ “How do you know my name? How can you understand me? I never gave my name or the files for the Eliknsi language,”  _ his voice not accusing, but curious. 

“The rumors were extensive, your name was passed around quite often. As for the language, your Ghost provided mine with the necessary entities as they feared you would fall back to it,” came the Speaker’s easy-going reply.

_ ‘Sorry,’ _ came CJ’s mental apology. Sullivan understood why CJ did it because his Ghost was correct.

The aforementioned Light entities circled Sullivan. The Sol orb glowing a warmth that he feels all the time when he called upon it. The Void was the opposite, it was cold, almost calculating Sullivan. It’s exactly the polar opposite of Sol. “You see your Light around you, do you not?” Sullivan nods.

“Let the Void in first,” the Speaker said, voice full of confidence. Sullivan hesitates to reach out to let the Void dance along his fingertips. “I see your dilemma, you fear the Void will consume you and take control of your actions. While the Void is a double-edged sword, it is a sword in the end. Allow it to fill your veins and let the Light in it flourish.”

With the pep talk in mind, Sullivan held a hand out to the glowing purple orb, no larger than the size of a basketball. Violet swirls floated within, and it felt as if it is staring into Sullivan’s soul. The basketball-esque orb floated into his hand, softly, almost if it knew Sullivan’s trepidation. Sullivan, under his breath, whispers an Eliknsi prayer before he said aloud, in English, “I trust the Void will not lead me astray.”

On cue, the Void entered Sullivan’s body and he felt a cold overcast in his veins. The feeling overtook his body and his balance faltered for a short moment. For the first time in quite a while, Sullivan felt truly calm and collected. The Void settling in, getting used to the host. It shows him how to properly utilize this power, to allow equal control; to give and take. The Void’s ethereal blades appeared on Sullivan’s wrists. Yes, both of them. The blades felt natural this time, instead of forced, their edges seeming further refined, sharper. The crossbows were latched to his wrists and their signature purple glow lit up the room. Sullivan felt light as a feather then realized he could not  _ see _ himself.

He has the ability to turn invisible. His heart rate climbed as he thought he would forever be invisible. His child-sized mind letting his imagination get the better of him, and then he became visible. Sullivan tried, keyword _ tried _ , not to breathe a sigh of relief, but it escaped his mouth anyway. A throaty chuckle is heard and Sullivan turned his head to see Shaxx standing there, his hands on his hips in a dominating pose. Sullivan did not feel intimidated.

Instead, he turned to the Sol orb, gazing into its endless warmth, the flickers of the embers, begging to catch a spark. He turned his gaze to the Speaker, “Now, you must think of a space where the Void is not. A space that feels right for Sol to enter. This place will be where it is most needed.”

Sullivan began to think of all the places to where this Sol orb could go; CJ already knew where it was supposed to go, where it was always meant to be. Sullivan’s heart. The hole that was left as a crater months ago had always needed a warm presence to feel whole. This orb would fill in nicely. CJ kept this revelation to itself, waiting to see if their Chosen can figure it out.

A small sign of frustration left Sullivan’s throat as CJ spoke up, “Sullivan, really think about where you need a place to feel whole. It is the one place that felt lost without something… or someone.”

Sullivan stilled as his Ghost’s words resonated with the young Risen. ‘The place you need to feel whole’ struck his mind with the answer. He cradled the Sol orb in his hands, tears glistening in his eyes. They could not mean…

Sullivan raised the Sol orb to the left side of his chest and slowly as it neared the armor, it ‘parted’ to allow the orb entrance. His heart. Sullivan’s heart has been hurting ever since he walked into that den. He felt as if someone tore out his heart and smashed it into a billion pieces when he saw the destruction. The pain of losing a family impacted Sullivan, much more than he let on, but the Sol orb reminded him of his family. They were there when he first discovered it and they were there to help him wield it. His family  _ resided _ in this orb. 

Sullivan jumped as the orb touched his heart and he felt warm and tingly all over, swaying his balance once more, but this time, falling. Sullivan would have hit the ground, if not for Shaxx coming up from the side and supporting him. Sullivan mumbled his thanks before the Speaker, well, spoke, “Let him rest, rearranging anyone’s Light is a daunting task, but young Sullivan here did it on the first go-around. Quite remarkable, this one.”

Sullivan’s instincts were blurred; he knew nothing of what was going on and it terrified him. Sullivan would be at the mercy of those who could do him harm and it sends alarms to his body. It could be a lot worse though. CJ could feel the unadulterated stress and fear radiating from its Chosen. “Could you please put him in a place where he would be comfortable? His vitals are reaching higher levels than he normally is. If he does not get a sense of peace, then I fear he will die of a heart attack, and that is something I do not want to think about.  _ It’s bad enough he has already lost one family. _ ”

“As you wish. Shaxx, bring him to my quarters, for now. At least I’ll be able to help calm him down,” the Speaker said, his white robes and black scarf still standing as the most sophisticated, yet simple, outfit in the entire room. As soon as Shaxx left with Sullivan in his arms, the Speaker asked, “A moment, Ghost?”

CJ stilled and felt like if it was not near its Chosen, then everything will go wrong, “Can we make it quick?”

“Of course. Now, what has your Guardian, your Chosen, been through?” Speaker asks. This is a question that should have waited until Sullivan is in the room too.

“As much as I want to answer that, Speaker, I will not until Sullivan is in the room, conscious, and  _ willing _ to answer this question. His trust issues prevent me from fully trusting you. Do not confuse my mistrust for hostility. Quite the opposite, in fact, I  _ want _ to trust you, but I cannot until he trusts you. Even then, him being a child makes it harder each time someone breaks his trust,” CJ explains in a curt manner.

The Speaker became curious, “Which trust was broken?” CJ shifted its shell in confusion. Clarifying, “You said that he does not trust so easily, yet you want to trust. What caused this rift in his trust?”

“The same thing that you know I said, or at least that my fellow Ghost translated for you. You should already know that his life has been alright until a few months ago, and I fear that it will only get worse. Now, if you do not need me, I shall be waiting by Sullivan when he wakes up,” CJ said, floating to the doorway that Shaxx took, “and uh, Speaker?” The Speaker turned to the Ghost, “Thank you for stabilizing his Light.”

“It was he who did it himself, I had no part in it,” the Speaker said cryptically.

* * *

_ Sullivan is dreaming. Dreaming of the happy times, of the times that everyone is alive. Sullivan opens his eyes and sees the House Angel den completely untouched. Sullivan checking his arms and see the marks are still at twenty-five, so he knows that this isn’t a time-traveling dream. Evilys came into the room asking how he was. _

_ Sullivan immediately felt a sense of dread wash over him. Something was not right here. “Sullivan? What’s the matter?” Evilys asked. _

_ “This is not real. This is only a dream. You’re…” Sullivan knew if he said it, it would be true and he was not ready to accept that yet. _

_ “You killed me,” Evilys said, her expression becoming one of hate and malice, her eyes narrowed and her arms reaching for her weapon. “You got us all killed. You let us die, Sullivan.” _

_ “NO!” Sullivan shouted. He did not want them killed. He had gone back to try and save them, but when he got there it was too late. _

_ “You made me think I could trust you! A disgusting vermin. I should have killed your little friend when I got my claws on it,” Evilys snarled. The door opened and there stood Vaskir, Petrin, and a bunch of other Eliknsi from House Angel. From Sullivan’s view, every single one of them had weapons, all of their hands twitching. _

_ Evilys got into Sullivan’s face, grabbing his throat via death grip. She lifted him off the ground, off his bed, with ease. Her hand was crushing Sullivan’s windpipe, and Sullivan was gagging, trying to suck in a breath. His eyes were looking right at her, pleading. “Not begging for mercy? No matter, this will be over soon,” Evilys snarled. _

_ Sullivan did not feel the impact but felt the blood leaving his body, his eyes rolling in the back of his head. He only wanted to save them. _

_ He never wanted them to die… _

* * *

Sullivan opens his eyes, heavily breathing, shaking, and silently crying. CJ immediately is scanning him. “You had a nightmare, didn’t you,” it is not a question, it is a statement.

Sullivan nods while curling himself into the fetal position, where the nightmare flashed in his mind again, making Sullivan whimper and flinch at the ‘memory’. CJ could already see what he saw. CJ came back into the room seeing its Chosen thrashing in the cot. CJ, without hesitation, delved into Sullivan’s mind to see that the ghosts of the past were blaming him, belittling him for something that was not his fault.

CJ knows it is not his fault, but the feelings that Sullivan has for them dictate that he will never stop blaming himself and CJ will let him know that he was never to blame. There was nothing that he could do, what happened happened, and there was nothing that he could do. CJ accepted the fact that they were gone, but CJ also understands that Sullivan will not just ‘get over it’ easily. Something like this takes time and CJ knows that. CJ will always be there for his Chosen.

_ “They… They said it was my fault… Maybe it was, but I tried, and they… they looked at me with such… hate. CJ, te-tell me it is not true. Tell me that they do not hate me… Pl-please,”  _ Sullivan trembled as he speaks. He believes the dream to be real and his heart feels like it is going to leap out of the container that is his body. His thoughts are swirling around every little thing. Right now, his surroundings mean nothing to him. The only thing Sullivan wants -needs- right now is someone to hold him, just like Evilys did, with care and comfort.

“They do not hate you, but you need to rest, it is a little early right now. Do you want me to stay with you?” CJ wanted what Sullivan wanted, care and affection. Something that is easily given, and once earned, almost impossible to let go.

_ “Stay, please,” _ Sullivan whimpered, CJ floated into Sullivan’s hand and he brought CJ to his chest. Sullivan sighed and did something that he has never done before.

He kissed the top of CJ’s shell before his breathing evened out and went back to a dreamless sleep. CJ is shocked, but not surprised. Sullivan still has child-like mannerisms that will be forever in his life. They just make appearances unexpectedly. Nothing seems to be permanent in Sullivan’s life and CJ only hopes that  _ something _ will be forever in his life.

CJ is almost asleep at this point, but the only thing stopping it is the fact that the Speaker’s Ghost is lingering in the threshold of the room. CJ did not take time to look at his surroundings, but from what it can gather. This is not the main area, as in, this is not a permanent setting. A move is going to happen and Sullivan will need a place to rest. CJ could see the lines of exhaustion on Sullivan’s face setting in.

Ever since they left Venus, his eyes were significantly duller and CJ feared that they would remain that way forever. Is it selfish for a Ghost to want their Chosen’s eyes to be bright and lively again? A pain developed in CJ’s core as it thought about everything Sullivan has gone through.

He was a kid once, who was living a normal life until this Darkness; it appeared like a shroud and decimated Traveler’s creations. Colonies went dark, civilizations collapsed, people died, and all around the galaxy life was being snipped at the bud. Sullivan, even if that is his real name, will never get to experience the normal life.

He will never have a first crush, a first girlfriend, a first love, or marriage. Part of CJ feels guilty for reviving him so soon, but death preserved Sullivan’s remains as a child. They, Ghosts, could not physically age their Chosen to a desired age. No matter how ‘good’ the Ghost is; Sullivan was always going to be a child to CJ, even two hundred years from now. He is still CJ’s Chosen, Risen, and Guardian. Sullivan is everything to CJ, and Sullivan knows that deep down. CJ is everything to Sullivan. If someone took CJ away from him, then there would be hell to pay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What is this? An update while I don't have my laptop?! Blasphemy, I say! (Note: My laptop has had issues with hard drive detection, yes that's bad I know, and I have not been able to update.)
> 
> To remedy this, my college has a nice computer lab that I can just sign in and upload my stuff into my account. I don't want to leave you all handing for like two weeks. I want you all to enjoy a consistent update schedule!
> 
> -Horus


	12. One Small Peek Won't Hurt

The Speaker is awake in their study, but heard all the screams, the fear, the terror from the young Guardian. The Speaker despises the names ‘Risen’, ‘Chosen’, and ‘Warlord’. They mean the worst things possible, but the fact of the matter is that no will accept the change for now. 

The dream of a City sitting under the Traveler still lingers in the Speaker’s mind. Their Ghost appeared in a flourish of particles, “He is having nightmares. Most likely PTSD at least that is what ‘CJ’ said,” the Ghost expressing minor distaste for the Ghost’s name.

“Do you not like the name they gave their Ghost?” The Speaker questioned its Ghost.

The Ghost in question twitched in nervousness, “This isn’t about them is it? You want a name.”

“Yes.”

“Well,” the Speaker said, “No name I could ever come up with will be able to thank you for all that you have done for me.”

That resonated with the Ghost before they settled onto their Guardian’s shoulder, where they continued to monitor the entire village. They will have to regroup with the main batch of people that wait under the Traveler.

This village is only a temporary settlement, in a weeks’ time, they will be moving out, making their way back to the Traveler. The Speaker only hopes Sullivan is ready for the journey. It is not because of the distance, but because the Speaker wants Sullivan to trust him, to forge a bond through time. A way to keep in contact. The Speaker knows that drastically changing a child’s surroundings can alter how they act. Sullivan is quite a rare case, one who re-organize his Light so quickly, but also so scared of something simple as moving. Should Sullivan not want to move, then they will be forced to move him, and neither Shaxx nor the Speaker wants to do that to Sullivan.

After all, there lies the mystery why he knows the Eliknsi language, and that means questions will be asked, and the answers are ones that Sullivan will not want to give out. They could be a piece of his past and they could possibly trigger a flashback that Sullivan does not want to remember. This ground that the Speaker is treading is extraordinarily thin, and with the right words, they may make it to the other side.

* * *

Sullivan is napping on a giant fur cloth that Shaxx provided for him, he is so tired of the stress. Sullivan found out they were moving, making his silent suspicion that this is only a temporary home true. This day was coming. Over the course of the last two days, people have been packing stuff up, but Sullivan has not gotten his energy back. The Light reorganization put him out of commission for the last forty-eight hours. The only ones who visited were the Speaker and Shaxx. Zavala made an appearance, but came at the time that Sullivan was out cold. 

Turns out, Zavala is not a bad person. CJ held a lengthy conversation with him, all about what comes next, what they know, and any other tidbits of information that they deemed interesting. Sullivan was silently sleeping at that time, and Zavala took notice of how docile he is.

“Is he always like this?” Zavala asked one day.

“When he sleeps, otherwise, he is very introverted, the only ones he really talked to here is the Speaker and Shaxx. I mostly converse with their Ghosts and themselves. You, are added on that because I don’t want to leave Sullivan’s side. I do not need him thinking that I just up and left, no. I will stay with him until my last moments,” CJ explained, his eye solely focused on Zavala, waiting for him to say something.

“He will fit right in with the City, you do know we are leaving at 0600 tomorrow, right?” Zavala inquired, unsure if these two were caught up on the village’s plans.

“I am well aware of the plan, Sullivan will most likely go where the Speaker goes. After all, that calming effect does not just affect Chosen. It affects the Ghosts too. That sense of calm allows even the most stressed people reign in their emotions.”

“Guardian,” Zavala said, seemingly out of the blue.

CJ twists its shell in confusion, “Pardon?”

Zavala regards the Ghost with his calculating cobalt eyes, “Guardian. It is what we wish the name Chosen renamed to. A re-branding of what we are. The word ‘Chosen’ is associated with death, despair, Warlords and their misdeeds. If we are to be a shining beacon for those around us, then we would need a name that symbolizes who we are.”

CJ began to think it over. It would make sense. Sullivan was a Guardian to the people of the village in the short time he was there. He was a Guardian that had saved Lyla from her torment. Sullivan became the Guardian that those people needed. Sullivan has a long road ahead of him, one that would the presence of a Guardian, not a Risen. CJ could see where Zavala was coming from. Even the name itself was inspiring, _ Guardian _. CJ looked at Sullivan’s sleeping form, his arms on top of one another, hands by his face, his legs bent, and his knees at his chest laying on his side facing CJ and Zavala.

Zavala could finally see the face of the one that appeared in the dead of night a few days prior, and that contraption that was with him… That looked like someone took old pieces of rope and tied it together, praying that it would stay together, let alone run. When Sullivan explained how it worked, people wanted to get one for themselves. Even the other Ghosts tried to scan the makeshift vehicle. Let it be known that Sullivan did not share easy and everyone found out what happens when they try to get the blueprints without consent of the vehicle’s owner. It is quite amusing to see all the Ghosts get a small shock to their systems. It is completely safe for them to receive the shocks, in moderation. Obviously if one suffers shocks constantly, then well, problems will arise, but everyone was smart enough to not test that theory.

Sullivan groaned then started to thrash wildly as his heart rate climbed exponentially and his hands were swinging to and fro, not in a gracious manner anyway. It was not something Zavala think he would ever witness in his life. A blood-curdling scream pierced the air as Sullivan’s eyes opened and his hands fell to his heart and his sobs coated the air. The dread in the air was so thick, it might as well have been palpable. Zavala looked on in shock for a few seconds, until his natural instincts kicked in. He went over to Sullivan, slowly, as to not startle him and took a hold of Sullivan’s hand.

The latter stiffened but slowly started to breathe deeply, his free arm covering his eyes as he thought about how his dream spiraled out of control that badly. In one moment, he was talking to Evilys and Petrin… the next he was in a torture room with the two Eliknsi in question, but it got worse… they were the ones torturing him, physically, emotionally, and psychologically.

The dream was over as soon as Sullivan opened his eyes, but his hand went to his heart to hear it beating. His dream made it seem like it was torn out of him. They kept chanting _ ‘you killed us both, murderer.’ _ to him and he denied it every time. Every time he did, they upped the ante. It became bad enough that Sullivan did not even realize he was being spoken to, by none other than the Speaker. “Sullivan, you must relax, you are safe here. You are with friends who will do no harm to you. No one will touch you, no one will torture you. You will be alright, young one,” the Speaker’s voice sent calming waves directly to Sullivan’s scared mind. It will unfortunately be scared for the rest of his life. This pain will never go away. It will only be suppressed if Sullivan allows it to be suppressed. Otherwise, it will keep coming back to haunt him.

“I-I thought i-it wouldn’t happen a-again. I-I’m so da-damned foolish i-if I thought I-I could be rid of these ni-night terrors,” Sullivan breathed and stuttered in between words. Zavala released Sullivan’s hand and sat back. Zavala felt a bond form between him and the child before him. A need to protect him, to shield him, to protect the little innocence he has left. So much of it was lost in the last five years, that Zavala physically clenched his fists as the leather around his hands audibly twisted.

Zavala left the room as needed to not have a complete breakdown in front of Sullivan. He could barely hear the words leaving Sullivan’s lips, “Where is he going?”

The Speaker replied, “To cool himself off, he felt it to, the need to keep you safe. Even if you are experienced, it does not excuse the fact that you still _ physically _ look like a child, one that any of us could take care of. It does not ease us in the slightest that you have already suffered so much loss.”

“I see,” Sullivan turned to CJ, _ “It was worse this time,” _ Sullivan’s eyes were glassy and full of guilt. It was eating at his conscious, it was _ breaking _ him to a point where he would never recover, not now, not _ ever _. If Sullivan fell down this dark pit, then no closer than touching the Traveler would save him. This is why the Speaker must get him to the City, to aid in the child’s ‘quest’ to be free of his pain.

“I know, Sullivan. I know,” is CJ’s reply. CJ knows all about the nightmares, even the ones that Sullivan does _ not _ tell him about. Sometimes, Sullivan gets them during the day, at random. It does not bode well for him to constantly be reminded of what happened. Children like Sullivan should be playing with other children and say the girls have cooties or something. CJ wonders if it made the right choice to bring him back.

“Stop it, CJ,” Sullivan demanded. “I know that look. You’re starting to regret bringing me back, but you know that is not true. You will not be feeling sorry for yourself while I lay here. I’m glad to be here. You did not know that anything could happen. Life is full of ups and downs, but you need to remember…” Sullivan stood up, and cupped his hands underneath CJ’s shell, “You’re my Ghost, and I would not want you to regret my existence. I am _ here _ because of _ you _ , and it is _ here _ that I will remain for _ you _ . You cannot and will not be rid of me that easy, _ my little Ghost. You mean the absolute world to me, and I refuse to let you burden the guilt. You and I share that together, and it is together that we will rid ourselves of it. _”

_ “I have the best Guardian in the entire Galaxy and no one can tell me differently,” _CJ replied, just as emotional as Sullivan. The bond between Guardian and Ghost continues to grow without a hitch. A few minor bumps in the rod, but nothing will stop these two, for their journey continues into the next day… where they have to leave the shelter and move onwards to the City’s construction site.

* * *

“Young one, you must wake up. We are preparing to leave finally. All of your items, minus your contraption, have been packed. The only thing left is you and your other belongings,” the cool, crisp voice of Zavala registered in Sullivan’s ears. So it’s confirmed then, they are leaving this place, but where are they going? For all Sullivan knows, they could be taking him to his death.

Ok, even for Sullivan, that does seem far-fetched, but his child mindedness allows his imagination to explore and think of every possible thing he could. If they wanted to kill Sullivan, they would have a soon as he stopped in front of the village. It both comforts and terrifies him that someone could switch their tune at the drop of a hat. CJ could feel Sullivan’s uneasiness and sent waves of reassuring Light to his mind and body. Sullivan released a puff of air before taking a deep breath to relax his unending wave of anxiety. “Sullivan, you _ will _ be alright. It is not a bad thing to let someone in. To let someone _ else _ in. I, as your Ghost, can only do so much to help and here are physical limitations to what I can provide.”

_ “Please clarify what you mean, CJ. I do not do well with hidden meanings,” _ Sullivan replied in a bored, unamused tone. He knows his Ghost means well and CJ is right; he _ needs _ to let someone else in, but his trust is strained. The only way he could trust anyone is just his own self fighting against himself. Meaning, Sullivan feels conflicted on who and _ why _ he should trust anyone. The irrational side of him demands that no one be exposed to the torment that Sullivan has witnessed.

“You may need someone who can provide the care you need. By that, I mean affection, like what she provided for you for years, who better than the Speaker?” CJ asked, but could feel the roaring wave of anger radiating from Sullivan.

_ “Are you telling me to _ ** _forget _ ** _ her?!” _ Sullivan asked incredulously. _ “To _ ** _forget_ ** _ the comfort and care she provided me for twenty years?! To forget that House Angel ever existed?” _ Sullivan’s voice faltered at the end of his statement, his head hung in shame as he broke eye contact with his Ghost.

“That is _ not _ what I am saying, Sullivan, and you know it. I’m not asking you to forget her, or any of them, I’m asking you to make a space in your heart for someone else to fall to, I will not care who it is, but as long as _ someone _ is there to catch you if I can’t,” CJ explained logically. It also realizes that Sullivan is always going to be a child, and CJ fully expects a temper tantrum. In prep for that, CJ closed its eye and waited for the screaming.

CJ opened his eye to find Sullivan have an off distance look, like he’s thinking about something, hopefully about what CJ said, and then Sullivan’s face became blank. CJ could not read any emotion on his face, his eyes became blank, null, nada, _ nothing _. “Don’t you dare shut me out, Sullivan! Please don’t!” CJ’s voice hitched and glitched.

CJ could see the small break in its Guardian’s mask, but it was quickly concealed, “Just think about my words, carefully. I don’t think I would be contempt in isolation, even if you are right next to me,” and with that, CJ disappeared into the familiar midst of particles that it came to know.

Shaxx came into Sullivan’s view, unaware of what just transpired, “We are leaving in five, young one, have you got everything?”

Sullivan did a mental checklist and sent anything he may have forgotten onto CJ in a monotone manner, even though the Ghost’s words hurt, they weren’t any less true. He needed to let someone else in, but his heart hurt too much to even try. Still, Sullivan let the words digest and fester within his mind. It was something to think about.

“Yeah, I do, let’s go,” Sullivan said, his voice detached. Shaxx raised an eyebrow under that horned helmet of his, but did not comment further. Something had obviously happened, and continued to stare at Sullivan with an inquisitive gaze as the child slid his helmet back on his head. The sound of the helmet locks hissed into place. “Stop staring, Shaxx, please.”

Shaxx said, “I can feel the numbness you feel, you and your Ghost had an argument. Not unheard of, commonplace nowadays, but you should know your Ghost is the companion that will always guide you. Don’t let the negative thoughts impede your relationship to them. Now, come on, young one. We have a long journey ahead of us.”

Sullivan whisked by Shaxx in a flash as one happy thought came to mind, he gets to ride his vehicle, or as people call it, ‘Deathtrap that floats’.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter, still no laptop. I go on Fall Break today and that means, I'm away from my computer, meaning no chapters. I have some work to do over the break anyway, but you might think, why not write on my phone?!
> 
> Uhm, I hate writing on my phone, the paragraphs don't indent and then the format gets all screwy and It annoys the ever-loving shit out of me.
> 
> Thank you and enjoy!
> 
> -Horus


	13. Flight School

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kind of a filler, kind of not, but what can ya do when you had three assignments and two projects to do in three days?

Sullivan smiled underneath his helmet as he rode circles around the convoy. Everyone watched in amusement as the little child rode around on a deathtrap that was built by Sullivan. People asked him about where he built it if it had a name, and if he could build another. He mentioned he took a ship he acquired from the twins, he explained in minimal detail about what he did to make the Sparrow, his ‘Eagle X-1’. To most the thing looks like it could fall apart, but in reality, it is at its highest structural integrity. In order for it to be completely ‘safe’, Sullivan would have to make a completely new model of Eagle.

The Speaker was intrigued by the child's mannerisms. Even though Sullivan has suffered much loss, he still manages to get a smile on his face. Shaxx and Zavala both set their gaze on the people around, watching the child’s movements, seeing the pure joy erupting from them. A small smile broke out on both men’s faces as most of the people around them had smiles on their faces.

Sullivan continued to circle the entire convoy, only stopping when there was not enough space to go full circle. _ “I miss them, CJ. I really do, it pains me to not have them by my side.” _

CJ could detect traces of remorse, guilt, and most importantly, _ acceptance _. Now, Sullivan’s words and the statement may not have been clear, but Sullivan’s heart is not racing like it normally does when they are brought up. Maybe CJ is jumping the gun here, or maybe it isn’t, but the fact remains that Sullivan is getting his much-needed closure.

CJ replied softly, _ “I know you do. I miss them as well. They taught me not to judge a book by its cover. Something that the rest of Humanity needs to work on. Acceptance of others different from them.” _

_ “That would years and years, perhaps a few dozen lifetimes to even convince someone, let alone a Risen who has only hatred towards any differences,” _Sullivan reasoned, but his voice still had a bite to it.

CJ said nothing as it accepted that, but did it hurt to at least try? Sullivan said nothing as well as he continued to ride around on his vehicle. The Speaker called Sullivan over to see how he was adjusting to the new surroundings. Sullivan was touched at the gesture, before long the only one to look out for him was dead now. So, Sullivan hopped off the Sparrow and CJ transmatted it away so Sullivan can come up and _ hug _ the Speaker. The Speaker reacted instinctively and _ hugged _ him back. To some, it may seem that Sullivan is crazy or just attached to people easily, but for Sullivan, it means the world.

The Speaker does not have to say anything while they embrace the young Guardian. “You have great potential, Sullivan. One look to most will have them underestimating you. People will be thoroughly surprised when they find out how fantastic you are.”

Sullivan realized what he did and just jumped away, now not like a simple jump like he was frightened. No, it was a jump, then a _ double _ jump. Sullivan did yelp but did not cry for help, like his mind was wired to do this. He did a backflip and landed perfectly like he never left the ground and did not _ just _ defy every known law of physics. Sullivan is internally freaking out at the moment and he fears people getting mad at him or jealous enough to kill. People have stooped that low before and it makes Sullivan want to crawl into a hole, never to be found.

Sullivan quickly went inside to his little tent that was set up for the long journey and everyone else was still shocked about what they just witnessed. Shaxx came up to the Speaker, Zavala in tow, “Did he just use his Light to _ jump _ mid-air?”

“It appears he did,” came the smooth reply.

“She will most likely be baffled about this, no one has ever shown this much prowess in this little amount of time. It took us at least a century to get to that level of expertise. He has done it, on _ accident _, in a quarter of that time. Impressive,” Shaxx said, his voice in slight awe.

“Indeed,” Zavala commented. There were whispers about Sullivan, and that was because no one has ever seen that kind of use of Light before. People have seen the elements, but no one has seen anyone physically _ jump _ with it before.

Meanwhile, Sullivan was in his tent curled up in a ball of embarrassment, not only did he hug the Speaker, but then he jumped in midair, making him look like a freak. One would think that this would be a monumental occasion, but to Sullivan this is the first time he stepped into this territory, and his child mind does not know how to cope with this rapid development. “Sullivan, that was amazing! Do you know how awesome that was?!” CJ shouted in glee.

However, Sullivan did not take that to the same effect, _ “I do not know how I did that, and I am scared of how people will react.” _

“Sullivan,” CJ cooed, “That was one of the ‘perks’ of being a Guardian. With your self-proclaimed Hunter status, you have the ability to perform what we Ghosts call a ‘double jump’, specifically, you can even perform a _ triple _ jump. It will be difficult at first, but with time and practice, using your double jump will become second nature.”

_ “If you say so, CJ. I am going to sleep this off. Riding my Sparrow took a lot out of me,” _ Sullivan said with a yawn escaping his mouth, _ “Wake me when we get wherever we are going.” _

“Sleep tight, Sullivan.”

* * *

“Sullivan, wake up, we have arrived at our destination,” CJ said, bringing Sullivan out of his deep slumber. His helmet was off, and he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and sat up.

Sullivan’s words were slurred, “We best be there, or we are gonna exchange sum words.”

CJ laughed at his Guardian’s expense before floating out of his reach and taunting him some more as it put Sullivan’s armor back on it, whist transmatting a ‘mint’ into Sullivan’s mouth. It will rid him of the curse to all humans known as morning breath. Sullivan devoured the mint in about two minutes, meaning he will most likely have a sugar high for the next six hours and then crash immediately after. “We are. No one will bother you until you are ready, Sullivan.”

“Good, because I don’t think I _ want _ to show my face. I’m still worried about everyone’s reaction,” Sullivan grumbled. He is still embarrassed about the events of yesterday.

“Well, one specific person is asking for your presence, and she is actually the inquisitive one, and she does not like to be kept waiting,” CJ urged, with a hint of fear.

Sullivan picked up on the tone, “Is she that scary?”

CJ only nodded its shell, “Plenty scary, she is. That is one woman you do not want to irritate. In fact, she is coming right now,” it warned as it disappeared leaving Sullivan to face the evil monster alone.

_ “Do the thing in case it goes south,” _Sullivan whispered. CJ sent its acknowledgment through their neural link.

“Ever since you told me of what this child could do, I was interested, and if you keep holding me back, Shaxx, then I will drop you!” A feminine voice shouted; its tone serious as they would go through with that threat if Sullivan knew this person.

“Ikora, you have to understand that he is a _ child _ , who will be terrified if you went to him in this state, you have to let him be, otherwise he will not speak to you, let alone _ look _ at you without flinching,” the sound of boots crunching on the ground outside got louder, which mean they were getting closer.

Sullivan’s fear was rising, and he wanted to just disappear, little did he remember that he _ could _ but did not possess the capacity to do so. In other terms, Sullivan is utterly trapped and will have to meet this ‘Ikora’ character whether he likes it or not.

The tent flap was opened, and Sullivan saw the person in question, she was of black descent, her robes were tattered and worn, most likely from battles and her eyes, they were a murky brown and they held determination. Sullivan was staring in fear as her eyes met his under his helmet. “So, this is the Risen who performed a miracle of the Light in front of you and then hid?”

“Ikora, you are scaring him, leave now,” Shaxx’s voice belted, making Sullivan jump at its intensity.

“I’d beg to differ there, Shaxx. It seems that your voice is what he fears,” Ikora retorted, her voice full of humor.

Sullivan just wanted to disappear and so he did. During that time, he rushed outside, getting away from those two before a fight breaks out. Sullivan stopped as he looked out to see a bunch of machines he has never seen before. His mind does not remember what they are, but he does know that they are used for building things. The small white base of something in his vision, but he quickly remembers why he was running. Sullivan also took notice of the white substance on the ground. 

It was thin, but also was something that Sullivan has never seen before. CJ said it is called ‘snow’ and this season is called ‘Winter’. CJ also mentioned that the season is ending, and it won’t come back for the next eight months. Sullivan pouted. 

All the while, people were staring at the footprints Sullivan left behind, but no one could see him, and Sullivan took notice and smiled. Laughter tumbled out of his lips, resonating from his diaphragm as he sucked in deep breaths to compensate.

No sooner when Sullivan started to laugh, he became visible and then everyone else around him all snickered and chuckled at the antics of the child. They put the pieces together as the footprints led right to Sullivan. The Speaker was one of those people watching him, and they smiled underneath their mask. It is another step of him settling in. 

The only thing that was missing from this moment was the Traveler itself. It is currently hidden behind the thick clouds that liter the sky, and Sullivan is in for a surprise when he sees it. Most have the same reaction, awe. Sullivan is expected to have the same, but it is also a message to him. Anyone who unites under the Traveler feels a deeper connection. A sense of _ family _. This will not replace the one he lost, but it will allow him to understand that he is not alone in this world.

Everyone has suffered loss; everyone has suffered in some way, and everyone has gotten by it. Yet, the fact remains that Sullivan is still a child. Everything will take a lot more time for him to adjust to the new situation. Maybe in time, this reaction to it will fade, through years of building and loss, and they all say time heals all wounds. While time is a factor, it relies on one’s acceptance of the situation. The faster one accepts a situation that is laid before them, the faster they can heal.

* * *

Sullivan did manage to avoid Ikora for the rest of the day and the following two days, but it was the fourth day that Ikora managed to track down the elusive child Guardian. “Child, you thought you could hide from me forever?” 

Sullivan froze, stiffened, and he is pretty sure his heart stopped as he slowly turned around to see Ikora with her hands behind her back, face impassive, and a singular eyebrow raised. Sullivan shook his head and slowly started to back up, “I’m not going to harm you.”

_ “That is what they all say before they do,” _Sullivan whispered, not looking her in the eye.

Ikora crouched down to Sullivan’s level and she hooked a finger underneath Sullivan’s chin. His helmet was off so Ikora finally got to look into the multi-colored eyes of little Sullivan, “I only want to know how you managed to double jump out of fright. I am what we call, Warlocks, knowledge interests us and most of us have had our Light for a lot longer and some still have not tapped into the power that you have. I would like to understand why, and I would like your assistance,” Ikora said calmly and evenly.

Ikora’s finger left Sullivan’s chin while she resumed her impassive stance. Sullivan thought _ what’s the worst that can happen? _ Sullivan nodded and Ikora smirked, but it was in good humor, no malicious intent. Ikora took him to a small area, out in the fields where they would only see Sullivan if he actually jumped. Sullivan was internally asking ‘now what’ in his head and by extension CJ. 

Ikora gazed at Sullivan inquisitively, “How did it happen?” Sullivan only looked at her in confusion, “When you defied gravity,” she clarified.

“Uhm, I uh… huggedthespeakerandthengotreallyscaredandfreakedout,” Sullivan said in one big breath.

Ikora simply raised an eyebrow and had a far off look on her face, her Ghost was slowing down the clip he managed to grab and play Sullivan’s words back to her. “So, you hugged the Speaker and it managed to kick start your adrenaline and you acted on instinct?” Ikora asked and he nodded, his cheeks flushing in embarrassment at the memory.

“So, if you got scared again, would it happen again?” Ikora asked with a glint in her eye.

Sullivan’s heart started to race again as he deciphers the look, and with no regrets, starts running away. Ikora, on the other hand, starts to chase, well walk, towards his retreating figure with a growing Void orb in her hand. Ikora threw said orb and CJ warned him and told him to jump. Sullivan asked how high, and CJ said as high as you can. So, that is what little Sullivan did.

He jumped once to get off the ground, twice to gain height and a _ third _ time to avoid the impact of the Void orb beneath him. He flew through the air with little grace and tumbled when he landed. He thinks he heard a chirp and then a crunch-like noise but… that could have been anything. CJ regrets to inform him that he broke his leg and about two ribs, cracked a third, and fractured two more. Oh, did CJ mention he landed so wrong that a normal person wouldn’t be alive right now? No wonder why Sullivan is feeling short of air right about now, it knocked all the wind out of him. CJ healed the cracks and fractures but could not do much about the leg.

Ikora found him lying on the ground, arms spread, and leg flat against the earth, the other one, however, was at quite an odd angle, “So did you learn how you did it?”

“Yeah, but no more flying lessons for a while, please,” Sullivan said as Ikora pushed his leg back straight, causing Sullivan to scream in agony.

Ikora only chuckled as she carried him back to camp; she has much to discover about these new findings. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, on an unrelated note, It was my birthday on Sunday... so uhm... yay me? Still can't go to the bar though, so you all can guess.
> 
> -Horus


	14. A Special Bond

Sullivan’s leg healed over the next week while he studied why he is able to jump so high. Most people saw the glowing orb and heard Sullivan’s cry, and also saw him take flight, but those are just minor details. Minor details indeed.

Soon after Ikora brought Sullivan back on her shoulders, everyone who was also a Ris-Guardian, congratulated Sullivan. Even though he detected no hints of jealousy, it still made Sullivan shrink and feel small. Sullivan is not one to gloat, but it also does not mean that other people can gloat _ for _ him. Sullivan whispered he would like to be left alone for the next few days and he was assisted to his tent. There he sat, ate, and slept while CJ constantly checked his leg. There happened to be a cast that fit Sullivan, so with help, his leg was cast.

Skipping to now, Sullivan is able to hobble about and help with the construction of the Wall. A rumor was passed around that some old President said they were going to build a great wall… but it never panned out, except for the old Great Wall of China. From what Sullivan heard, it seems to still be standing, even after centuries of disuse.

Sullivan hobbled to Shaxx and this other man, Saladin, who was visiting from the North. Shaxx, Sullivan was warming up to, but the vibe from this Saladin character made Sullivan feel _ queasy _. “Shaxx! Zavala needs you to help stack bricks?”

Both men turned their attention to Sullivan, “And why?”

“Because you are basically the only other person to lift those and does it _ look _ like I can lift it, broken legs don’t heal in a week, even with a Ghost!” Sullivan shouted as he turned back around to hobble back to Zavala.

Sullivan did not hear the response but did hear the crunching of footsteps, multiple in fact. Sullivan threw a glance over his shoulder to see both men coming. Curious, but Sullivan paid no mind to either of them. Shaxx decided not to let the poor kid suffer and grabbed Sullivan and put him on his back. In other words, Shaxx is giving Sullivan a piggyback ride. Sullivan said nothing as he was bewildered that Shaxx just picked him up.

Saladin let out a throaty chuckle and said nothing else. He did not think his charge would care as much for children, even if they are Risen. Sullivan gave his thanks when Shaxx put him down on a chair inside the main tent. Things have started to feel normal for Sullivan now, and he does not know how he feels about this all. One minute he was leading a village, the next he was leaving said village, and then he could defy gravity. CJ sent its amusement down the link. CJ gave words of encouragement to Sullivan and relax; they scanned his leg once more and found that the leg is no longer broken, merely a fracture. He still could not walk on his own, but now he does not need someone to carry him absolutely everywhere.

_ “So, what happens now?” _ Sullivan questioned, curious now that he is here, what is in store for him; his Light humming underneath his veins, begging for exercise since he was out of commission for the time being. It should not bother Sullivan as much as it does, but it really does.

Zavala came inside the main tent and saw Sullivan, “Greetings, young one.”

Sullivan chuckled, “I’m not that young, but okay, not like I’ll ever get any older physically.”

Zavala offered a rare smile, “I’m afraid that the nickname will stay for the foreseeable future. Everyone here sees you as the youngest Guardian here, besides the actual children.”

Sullivan knew he did not mean to offend him but the comment ‘actual children’ hit him hard. It is true that he will never experience a true childhood, but he would rather do this than be dead, so, a plus one here. One thing will happen though, Sullivan will let these children experience something that he can never possess, and that was when Sullivan made himself the guide, for all children.

Ikora came into the tent, looking somewhat frantic, “We have a situation, a Ghost found their Guardian.”

“Okay, so? Isn’t that a _ good _ thing?” Sullivan asked, his childlike curiosity does not allow him to see the full picture some of the time. One of his flaws.

“While normally yes, but this situation is unique. Well, at least you will have someone to be empathetic too,” Ikora stated, eyeing Sullivan waiting for the words to click into place.

Sullivan stood up too fast and stumbled. The words made sense, another _ child _ has been resurrected, meaning Sullivan won’t be alone anymore. Without assistance, he hobbled and limped out of the tent, Ikora leading, Zavala behind him in case he does fall. 

Sullivan was too excited to see who it was, not caring if his leg would take a bit longer to properly heal, but he was too damn excited. So much so, that he hobbled faster than Ikora was walking. Ikora grasped his shoulder to slow him down, while a small smile graced her features. Something like this should be celebrated. Ikora slowly tightened her grip on his shoulder, “Why are you holding me back, why can’t I see them?”

“It would be best if not everyone went inside in order not to overwhelm her,” Ikora said factually.

“Her? It’s a girl?” Sullivan paused before speaking, his eyes going distant. Sullivan felt like he was surfing through his mind. CJ knew exactly what this was, a memory refresh. Sometimes, Guardians get lucky with a circumstance and they can get insight on their past. These can happen at any time in a Guardian’s life, some never get them, but others get them constantly, “Is it possible that I know her? I mean, I grew up on Venus before my… untimely death,” his throat closed at the mention of Venus and all the memories he had but continued, “and I-I knew this girl, she and I were close, like bestest friends, but then she moved away, off-planet. Ever since then, I have not heard from her, even after months of her arriving on Earth,” Sullivan’s voice was thick with palpable emotion. He immediately perked up, like he did not just have a heart-wrenching moment, “Then again, it also could not be her.” 

Zavala’s and Ikora’s jaws dropped, no one ever gets information about Sullivan’s life, maybe the Speaker, but not them. Ikora led them to a single tent and stood outside the threshold, “She is inside, and don’t be discouraged if she is not the friend you knew.” 

Sullivan nodded and his hand reached out, but he hesitated. Zavala and Ikora gave each other a look before they both walked away, giving Sullivan the illusion of privacy. “Come on Sullivan, do not run away from this,” It twirled its shell, “Do you remember her name?”

Surprisingly, Sullivan does, and a faint smile came to his lips, “Marie Evansworth,” a small gasp came from inside the tent, _ “She was the sweetest girl, probably my first and only crush.” _

The tent flap was ripped open and Sullivan’s eyes widened as he took this person in, there was just no way. Her raven-colored hair and dark green eyes and her slightly tanned skin drank in the sight of his short brown hair, half tanned skin, and his heterochromia eyes. They both blinked and just stared at each other before both of them hugged one another, a bone-crushing hug at that.

“It’s really you,” Sullivan whispered, tears forming in his eyes, “I-I thought…”

“Shhh,” she cooed, “So, you know my name, but I don’t…” she trailed off sadly.

“It’s Sully-I mean Sullivan, at least thanks to CJ,” the mentioned Ghost just did a little Ghost bow. The girl’s Ghost, Marie’s Ghost, came out to see who was embracing her Guardian and her optic set on CJ.

“I see we don’t seem to ever separate for long now do we?” the female Ghost said humorlessly. CJ froze and then his eye turned pink.

Sullivan perked up, “You know her?” CJ ‘blushed’ even more before hiding behind him, “You so do!”

“I see you are the person Marie has not stopped talking about ever since I brought her back. She did not mention your name but kept describing you. She got a memory refresh and she remembered her name and that she has a major crush on you,” the female companion said while avoiding the sour look Marie was giving her.

“Do you have a name? Or did CJ here give you one?” Sullivan asked, his grip on Marie has not diminished. He really missed her and while the Ghost explained that she does have a name, Via.

Marie clung to Sullivan, one she missed him, and all her memories reflected that; two when she woke up, all of these adults crowded her, and she wanted someone. The name that escaped her lips was ‘Sully’ and it did not take a genius to figure out who that was. Via noticed this and relayed it to CJ. It said nothing but from Via replied back was that CJ name Sully, Sullivan because he liked that name over the other options.

Ikora and Zavala came back in, with someone new in tow. “See, why don’t you guys give me hugs when I come back?” 

Sullivan turned at the unfamiliar voice, his Light scratching at the surface to protect. Now that Marie is back in his life, his instinct that he long thought gone made a comeback, with much more force than ever. Sullivan thought it was high in the village, but this overpowered that by miles. _ That sense of Family _. 

“Cayde, now is not the time for this. We came to check up on them and we have done that, and it seems they remember each other. The least we could do is give them some space,” Zavala reasoned, but this person, Cayde. He’s an Exo, and his attire is similar to Sullivan’s, even as far as Sullivan’s newest addition of a cloak. What can he say, he liked the hood it came with.

Cayde approached and reached his hand out and Sullivan’s instincts came in. Within a second, Cayde had his hand behind his back, stomach on the floor. He landed with an _ oof _ and as soon as he was on the floor, Sullivan was off him breezing past them all to go get some air. Marie was confused about what just happened but followed Sullivan outside. Via right behind her. As Marie was moving out of earshot, she heard a groan and then, “All I was doing was saying ‘hi’ and introducing myself as I have never met them before.”

“Cayde, they are Guardians _ and _ children. So far, these are the only two we have seen,” The Speaker said, startling the trio of elder Guardians.

“Speaker,” they addressed in unison.

“You three must let Sullivan and Marie have some time to ‘catch up’. They will most likely be inseparable as the way they look at each other signifies their bond has grown, even after _ years _ of separation. Give them time.”

The three nodded and the Speaker walked away, looking up at the clouds.

* * *

Years and years past, so much so that CJ has to remind Sullivan to mark his armor. There are now seventy-six marks on Sullivan’s Hunter armor, while Marie’s Hunter armor has twenty-six on her right arm instead of her left. One of those marks is specially colored in.

Over the past fifty years, Sullivan and Marie got married. Weird for children to get married, yes, _ but _ they did not make it public, they eloped. Sullivan’s happiest moment is when he asked, and she looked so flustered that he had to ask again. While the two were _ physically _ in the bodies of a thirteen and twelve year old, respectfully, they were mentally older than that. The two kids still bantered like kids and they played games as they did back then, but the only true difference was the rings on their fingers. When they both finally saw the Traveler, everything felt warm and cozy, now that they have gazed upon that big white ball in the sky.

The City’s wall is complete and holding strong. Nothing has happened so far and nothing seems to be brewing. At least, not to anyone’s knowledge.  
Sullivan still has his moments of weakness, like once a year he flies to Venus to go visit the remnants of House Angel. He wonders about what would have changed if they had not taken him in. The thoughts scare him.

Both Sullivan and Marie are Hunters, and they often patrol together, on occasion separate, but mostly together. They know that kids are off the table, maybe they will see if they can adopt. Sure, it will look weird that two kids are going to take care of a kid who will be bigger than them after they hit fifteen, but a complete sense of family is something that Sullivan always longed for.

When they eloped, Sullivan and Marie made sure not to tell their Ghosts _ when _ they were getting eloped. They knew they _ were _ going to elope but did not find out until after it happened. Sullivan paid Glimmer for the service upfront and without another word. Vai and CJ were going bonkers not knowing where their Guardians were at and they tore up the City looking for them. When they found them, both had rings on their third finger of their left hands. They admitted they also saw each other as more than friends, but never pushed their feelings because they were so young to truly know what love was.

Turns out, Cayde found out and made a joke about it. Sullivan almost killed him for the joke. Marie laughed but pulled her husband back. They were the Vanguard, they kind of need to survive so that they can run. Sullivan did not want to be a part of politics, so he gladly stepped away from it. “Cayde, if you make a joke about my height, your Ghost will need to revive you,” the threat floated in the air. “You may be my Vanguard, but that does not mean you can make jokes at my expense.”

“One day, I’ll warm up to you, but today is not that day.”

“Cayde, you know better,” Marie’s voice was soft, compared to Sullivan’s.

Sullivan went outside to the main area of the Tower. Shaxx followed, “How are you, young Sullivan?”

“Well, I got married,” Sullivan said bluntly. Shaxx coughed and sputtered, “Yes you heard me right. Marie and I eloped.”

The soon-to-be Crucible Handler was stunned, “I’ve known her before I died, and I met after she came back _ and _ we both had crushes on each other. It was bound to happen.”

Shaxx cleared his throat, “What of the Eliknsi?”

Sullivan clenched his fists, “I’ve heard nothing. I searched everywhere. Any base they had was cleaned out, and they are on the move and I don’t like it.”

“You think they would attack the City?” Shaxx asked calmly, yet there was a hint of concern.

“I wouldn’t doubt it, they want the Traveler and they will go to extreme measures for it,” Sullivan traced the faded House Angel symbol on his chest. _ “I owe it to them, after all these years, I will avenge them.” _

“Be sure that you do. I could use someone like you in my Crucible.”

“_ That’s _what you are calling it?” Sullivan mock insulted it, Shaxx glared at the child, “Relax, it was better than what I personally named it.”

“That’s what I thought Sullivan,” Shaxx said and walked away.

Marie came right as Shaxx left, “Hey hubby,” she cooed, leaning her head on his shoulder. He taught her everything he knew about the Light; he even told her about the time he was with House Angel, Sullivan did not cry, but his words skipped when he talked about it. Marie never chastised him for it, instead, she comforted him and whispered loving words of encouragement. They stared off into the horizon, the Traveler watching over them. It’s been a long ride, but it’s far from over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Looks like the end, feels like the end, but it is NOT the end. I would let you all know when this story ends.
> 
> Also, I know the fact that they get married seems weird, but mentally they _are_ mentally older than they physically are. 
> 
> Honestly, let me know what you think.
> 
> -Horus


	15. It Begins

Sullivan was freaking out. His mind running through all the possibilities. Marie has not checked in from her two-week patrol, which ended three weeks ago. Sullivan asked CJ to try and contact Via, but there has been no signal, and to top it all off, the Fallen have been spotted lurking beyond the wall. They have been getting more aggressive as of late. Guardians disappearing, only to reappear dead and Ghostless.

There is a silver lining here. Lyla and Tanya managed to make it to the City, along with every other Guardian from the village. She kept them safe, but that only made his worry for Marie worsen. She is perfectly capable of handling herself, as she has proven time and time again, but nothing feels right without her by his side.

“I need to go find her,” Sullivan said to CJ, his tone desperate. “She was supposed to be back now and we were supposed to get spicy ramen.”

“Sullivan, you aren’t allowed to leave since we are on high alert. I know you want to go out there, but even for you it is dangerous,” CJ tried to reason, but judging how Sullivan’s face contorted into fury, it could say that it did not work.

_ “She is my wife, CJ. You cannot possibly think I am going to sit here and just let them do that to her! You have read the reports; they come back Ghostless. I just got a sense of family back and I will be eternally damned if I let them do that to my Marie! We are packing our things and going to search for her, no exceptions, and to hell with what everyone else says,”  _ Sullivan continued to vent his rage, the words of the Eliknsi language drawing quite the large amount of attention.

“Guardian!” a voice boomed, none other than Shaxx. “I told you not to speak in that language around here!”

Sullivan turned to face Shaxx, “You know it’s a habit that is going to be near impossible to break, you know that?”

“Just don’t speak it out loud, one day you’ll get shot for it,” Shaxx said, shaking his head.

“Well, I would return the favor,” Sullivan before he asked CJ for his helmet and weapons. He was going to get his wife back home safe if it was the last thing he was going to do.

  
  


Sullivan was on foot, about eight miles outside the eastern wall of the City. This was the area that Marie was assigned to patrol, but then she has not contacted anyone since. Cayde said maybe something was blocking her Ghost’s feed. While, yes, that is a possibility, but highly unlikely. Sullivan taught Marie to leave signals behind to allow other Hunters, or Sullivan, to track her down.

Many of the trees in the forest all looked the same, but nothing truly stood out, until Sullivan found tracks in the mud. Multiple tracks, but only one pair of tracks stood out. There in the mud was Marie’s tiny footprints, along with other massive footprints that were definitely  _ not _ human. They were  _ chasing _ her. This sets Sullivan’s blood to a nice cool temperature of boiling. That is mild compared to what it could be. As he slowly follows the tracks, many other thoughts popped into the young Hunter’s head. What if that was a false trail? What if she is actually okay and she decided to pull a prank on him? But the one thought prevailed over all the others; What if she is dead?

“No, no. Sullivan, you cannot think like that, she is alive and she will be alright. You just have to find her,” he said to himself aloud. He wants to find her. Carefully navigating the forest, Sullivan noticed more tracks. These tracks were vehicle tracks and as far as Sullivan knew, the City did not have this many vehicles when they built the City. Any other vehicles they did have are in storage in case they ever need them again. The forest was thinning out and that meant if these tracks were correct, then it was an ambush.

One of the last trees in Sullivan’s sight had a specific mark on it. The mark for danger, an intricate pattern of slashes into a tree trunk. It was sloppily done, but that meant the messenger did not have a lot of time to put in the proper effort. Sullivan ran his hand over it and it was done with Light, meaning they were  _ really _ pressed for time.

A low chittering from Sullivan’s six o’clock made him raise his weapon. CJ took a scan and it realized how Marie fell into the trap. They made her do that symbol to draw him out. “Sullivan, we have company, and you’re not going to like it.”

“I know, they made her do it to draw me out, but  _ why _ ?” Sullivan questioned.

He never got that answer as a few dozen Eliknsi exited their cloaks and one of them was holding the reason Sullivan made the trek out here. This one was really tall which only meant one thing. This one is a Kell. It is holding Marie by chains tied behind her. Her shoulder-length hair was a mess It lifted her in the air, just barely off the ground and a whimper of pain escaped her lips. Sullivan clenched his free hand. She does not have double-jointed muscles. If they yank the chain hard enough, they could dislocate and break her shoulders. That would cause unimaginable pain,  _ “So, it seems that it finally made it. Thought you would never show up.” _

_ “Who are you?” _ Sullivan growled, his weapon never lowering. His eyes were calculating just in case anyone who got too close would eat a bullet.  _ “You wanted me, but for what reason?” _

_ “Isn’t it obvious, it seems after all these years, you have forgotten who I am. It is a shame really, you and I used to be close. Until House Angel was attacked,”  _ they sneered.

This set off warning bells in Sullivan’s head, and Marie’s too as her eyes widened as her head shot up. Sullivan told her all about House Angel and the first two decades of his life. He told her all about the times Evilys would chase him down because he did something. Or the times he messed with the Kell because he wanted to see if he could get away with it. Most of the time he did.

Now that he looks at the Eliknsi, they look familiar but how did he know House Angel and Sullivan unless...  _ “Skilik?!” _

_ “Give the child a prize, he figured it out,” _ The Kell, Skilik. He betrayed Sullivan.

_ “Was it you that made House Angel die that day?”  _ Sullivan’s voice was no louder than a whisper.

A wicked grin formed under Skilik’s mask,  _ “I have no idea who you’re talking about.” _

_“You son of a… I’ll _**_kill_** _you! They were your _**_family_**_! They helped you after everything and then you turned your back on them! For _**_years_**_, I blamed myself for their deaths. I had nightmares and even daymares for years on end. You let me think that when it was you all along!”_ Sullivan’s Light was flaring in a deadly Void and Solar storm, his emotions overpowering all logical reason. _“Mark my words, I _**_will_**_ the one to end your miserable life, if _**_it is the last thing I do!_**_”_

With that Sullivan let his Light project into the Eliknsi around him. The wisps of Light crashing into the frames of Eliknsi, leaving only the Kell and two Guardians left standing. Trees were brought down and utterly destroyed. The Kell, that  _ coward _ , Skilik threw Marie down and vanished into his own Ketch and disappeared. Before he left, he left a parting gift, his cloak of House Winter,  _ “Make sure to watch your City,  _ ** _child_ ** _ .” _

Sullivan went to check on Marie. He lifted her body into his lap, stroking her face. She was still breathing, thank the Traveler. Via appeared seconds later, “I’m sorry I couldn’t contact you, they had a Servitor blocking all external communications. We tried to contact you multiple times a day, hoping to find a weak point in the jammer, but…”

“Stop,” Sullivan said. “Just, let me wrap this whole thing around my head. The Vandal I knew since my rebirth is the one who betrayed me,” Marie’s eyes may be closed but she was listening. “Him and Evilys treated me so well, but I don’t know what happened. I couldn’t find his body when the House was destroyed. Why does everyone hurt me?” By the end of this, Sullivan was crying, cradling his wife’s body close to him.

Marie slipped her hands out from the chains, as the Light attacks jostled them loose. She wrapped her arms around her husband’s neck, holding him close, offering comfort. “I’m sorry, Sullivan. They-They came out of nowhere. I sh-should h-have se-seen the s-signs.”

Sullivan pulled back and noticed Marie’s lips were turning blue. Sullivan let out an Eliknsi curse before asking CJ to contact the City, they need a medical Hawk pronto. Sullivan pulled off his helmet and held her close. He kissed her lips to bring some semblance of warmth back to her. “What did they do to you? I failed you. I-I didn’t come to you when you needed me.”

“Shhh, you have me now, let’s go home. We have to warn the City,” Marie’s voice was hoarse, but Sullivan kept her close.

A City Hawk came into view and set down in the open field. To Sullivan’s surprise, Shaxx was the one in the Hawk, “Get inside, you two. We need to talk.”

“If it is to reprimand me, then save it, Shaxx. The Fallen are going to attack the City. We must prepare because the Fallen are tricky. And Shaxx,” the Titan looked at him, “I was reacquainted with someone from my past. He is the one who captured Marie, he’s the one that let my first family be killed. I vow to kill him, but we need to start preparing all of our defenses.”

Shaxx nodded and said nothing else, the only reason Sullivan knew Shaxx was mad was because of the dent in the metal handle above him. It had his handprint indented into it.

* * *

When the alarm bells sounded, Sullivan knew it was the Eliknsi, or Fallen, or whatever they are called. It did not matter, they were here and they wanted the Traveler. The entire city was surrounded. All the Fallen Houses were swarming the City and there were only so many Guardians. The defense turrets did all they could and even still the Eliknsi’s numbers were vast. Every single House was there and everything was going downhill, even with Guardians dying and reviving constantly.

Sullivan asked the snipers which one had Winter forces and they pointed him to the western side, so that’s where Sullivan went to enact his suicidal plan. He was going outside the wall to  _ fight _ every last Eliknsi that stands in his way. No matter the cost, even if it means dying for the final time. Sullivan will kill Skilik no matter what. He threatened his family, he killed his family, his own species, his own brothers and sisters in arms. Sullivan did not let anyone know except Via, but made her swear that she would not tell Marie until absolutely necessary.

There is a secret tunnel that leads out the west side of the City and it will make Sullivan’s plan work wonders. The tunnels may be old, but they are sturdy. It is a miracle in itself that they stand. Sullivan watched as dirt and crumbs of rubble fell from the ceiling as the battle raged on. Artillery doing work. Soon, Sullivan came out of an old rickety door, thankfully no Fallen were seen in the immediate vicinity. He slowly closed the door and recovered it with some surrounding branches and leaves.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” CJ asked in a mere whisper.

Truthfully, no, it’s not a good idea. It’s downright terrible and it’s more than likely that Sullivan will not live to tell the tale. “It’s the only one I have. Skilik is too much of a coward to face me. Yet, he could have easily killed you back then. I wanna know why he has done this.” 

Sullivan silently crept along the dense forest, behind enemy lines, the sounds of gunfire and explosions keeping him company. That was when Sullivan heard some Eliknsi tongue on the very edge of his hearing.

_ “What does Kell Skilik plan on doing? None of us have been informed,”  _ a Vandal said to their companion.

_ “We are to wait here for some human child. Supposedly, they knew each other back from that so-called ‘peaceful’ House called Angel. Now, he expects the child to act on stubborn will alone to try and kill him.” _

There was silence before the first Vandal spoke again,  _ “So, what are we looking for?” _

_ “Signs if the child is here yet, but do not underestimate this Lightbearer’s ability. Apparently, he killed over fifteen of our brothers in a matter of seconds.” _

Sullivan silently took out his knife and took careful steps to them. Sullivan deliberately found a twig to step on to alert them. When the Vandals turned, Sullivan lunged at one of them, slashing their throat and tackling the other one.  _ “You are going to tell me where Skilik is, or you will join your friend on the journey to the Great Machine.,” _ Sullivan snarled.

_ “I know nothing! So, good luck finding him!” _ the Vandal laughed.

_ “Well, your datapad will of good use to me then,”  _ Sullivan’s emotionless voice said, before killing the Vandal and grabbing said datapad. Turns out, he does know where Skilik is and now, he is on the hit list.  _ He’s always been on it, unknowingly. _

CJ scoured all the data and found the location and marked it on the HUD. Sullivan checked all of his weapons and cleaned his knives and set off into the dense forest, looking for his prey.

Little did he know, it was already watching him.

* * *

Marie has not heard from Sullivan since the battle started and that was two days ago. After the encounter with Skilik, she was in the med bay for two days’ observation and then was left out. Sullivan stayed by her side the entire time. He refused to leave the room. He even threatened the medical personnel to let him stay. He was quite adamant in his threats.

During the time she was captured, she understood all of the words being said, thanks to Via’s translation, courtesy of CJ’s files. Sullivan wanted her to understand the Eliknsi language and to practice it. It made sense and when Sullivan encountered Skilik. Marie could feel his anguish when he found out.   
On the bright side, Marie knows the plan the Eliknsi have concocted and needs to tell someone, preferably Shaxx or Zavala, since they are leading the charge. It is quite imperative that she does, otherwise, the City will not see it coming.

As if he heard her demand, Shaxx walked into the room, pausing before speaking, “Where is little Sullivan?”

“Out, helping the fight. I would but I need to tell you that the Fallen are just using this as bait,” Marie said quite urgently. “I’ve tried to contact Sullivan, but no signal is getting through.”

“Who do they want to bait?”

“Who’s the only one not in the room right now?” Maire asked sarcastically.

Shaxx stiffened and then swore, “When I’m done with your husband, he’ll wish he never steps foot in the Tower again.”  _ That’s a little harsh there Shaxx because if you harm my husband, you’ll deal with a woman scorned. _


	16. Two Kinds of Battle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, like a 3:30 AM update, lmao. Had to finish it and get this out to you all.

Sullivan encountered no other Eliknsi on his way to their main camp. Meanwhile, the string load of questions kept running through the child’s head. Each question, the answer was harder and harder to decipher. As far as Sullivan knows, maybe Skilik just wanted the thrill, as sick as it is. Maybe he was that far gone that he wanted to do this. This attack on the City, Sullivan’s home, was crossing the line though.

Just because the Eliknsi had the Traveler first does not mean that you can perform a wild mass manhunt to those who did nothing wrong to you. The Traveler is its own being, not one to be controlled. Yet, there it floats, not helping Humanity. If only it could just wake up then it would actually do something. To the Traveler, this is like pitting two friends against each other and saying ‘go’.

“How much further, CJ?” Sullivan asked from a tree.

“Well, in about three minutes. Oh and Shaxx and Marie found out about you left the Tower. They aren’t mad, but they are concerned,” CJ said, its shell twisting in confusion.

Sullivan stifled a chuckle, “Why are they concerned? I can handle myself.”

“The fact that Marie said that the Eliknsi needed you _ outside _ the wall to carry out their plan. Their plan was to bait you and we fell for it. We need to go, _ now _,” CJ demanded. This unsettled the Ghost, someone they knew was after its Guardian. The first desire of any Ghost is to find their Guardian. The second is to protect them, guide them, and nurture them. CJ has done all that, but the ‘protection’ aspect of it is difficult with a Hunter.

Sullivan obliged and hopped out of his tree, he would be back for him. At least that was his plan until he turned around and a fist smashed against his helmet and threw the young Guardian into the blackness known as unconsciousness.

* * *

When Marie was able to stand back up on her own, she grabbed her weapons and made for the front lines. She knew that they would want him and they knew he would go out there. Him threatening that Kell’s life made it even easier for them. They wanted him outside the walls, but for just him and him alone? Does the bad blood between those two run deeper than they realize? Something does not add up.

Via told Marie that Sullivan was in a tree and was about to head back.

That was a half-hour ago, and to make matters worse, is that he has not checked in since. Via can’t get CJ’s location and if they could, CJ’s signal is weak and covered in the shroud of darkness that is the Fallen. They want the Traveler and they will fight tooth and nail for that. It will be a bloody battle, possibly a bloody war, but something is widely known. They messed with Marie’s family, and that is unforgivable.

Marie lined up her rifle on the top of the wall and began picking off targets. A Dreg here, a Vandal there, and an occasional Captain amongst the fray. The rarer Eliknsi were the Barons/Baronesses and the Kells. These Kells would hide out in the back of their forces, only intervening when something gets to close. The problem is, they are out of range for the defense cannons, so they have no need to push up when they are in safety.

Marie watched as the Guardians around her were shot and killed, revived and killed again. And again. The Eliknsi just kept coming, _ how many of them are there?! _ Too many, as some of them just tried scaling the wall. _ Sullivan, where in the Traveler’s name are you? _

* * *

_ “How hard did you hit him?” _Sullivan’s somehow functional brain caught the words. The first thing he asked himself is what happened? He was scouting, looking for- SKILIK! Sullivan’s muddled and battered head did not allow him to open his eyes and he felt sleepy. Almost like a drugged state. Sullivan tried to move his hands, but the sounds of metal scraping and screeching in his ears made him rethink that plan.

A laugh was heard from, presumably, the next room, _ “Soft enough to knock him out, but hard enough where he will not be able to fight, even with the help of his ‘Ghost’.” _

Upon the mention of ‘Ghost’, Sullivan’s mind throbbed as he quite desperately searched for the link to CJ. It was still there, the constant ping, CJ is alive, but from how they were talking, it does not seem to be good. Through sheer will alone, Sullivan forced his eyes open and immediately shut them again. A bright light in front of him, and surrounding them was an ambient purple. _ Servitors. _ The synthetic Ether providers. As soon as Sullivan opened his eyes and got adjusted to the light, a pulse ran through his whole body that caused him to convulse in pain.

The entire process made Sullivan remove his whole stomach from his body. He dry-heaved almost instantly, the feeling making him wish that something would destroy these Servitors. Their glowing purple eyes looking directly at Sullivan like they could read his soul. Sullivan tried to get a look at his surroundings, but he does not recognize this place. He is still on Earth, far as he knows, and he has not heard from CJ at all. _ Where are you, little buddy? _

Sullivan felt a hand grab his face and tilted his head and neck, inspecting him. He kept his eyes closed and relaxed his muscles to not give himself away, _ “Is he awake?” _

There was no response as a fist collided with Sullivan’s abdomen, a loud crack was heard and Sullivan dry-heaved again. _ “Is now,” _ was the response from the person responsible. _ “I know you’re awake, _ ** _Sullivan_ ** _ . I remember when you did not have a name when you were a _ ** _child_ ** _ who could not even walk. Who could not remember his own name, until your Ghost gave you one.” _

Sullivan said nothing as he felt something drip down his chin… He did not need to look down to know what it was. His chained arms not helping him regulate his breathing. His chest cavity felt like someone rearranged it like someone reached inside him and played a game of hardcore operation. It is easy to see that Skilik is standing over him, with his face shifted into a crazed smirk. Sullivan only asked, or croaked, one question, _“Why?”_

Skilik looked at Sullivan like he grew a second head, _ “Have you heard of the Whirlwind?” _ Sullivan nodded slightly, his eyes drooping, fighting to stay awake. _ “That was when the Great Machine left our race. We wondered for centuries why the Great Machine left us. We followed it, hoping to fall into its good graces once more. Yet, when we found out that Humanity had our Great Machine, we declared war.” _

_ “All _ ** _this_ ** _ for the Traveler? We didn’t ask for it to-” _ Sullivan coughs and hacks, more of the substance flowing down his chin and down his armor. The substance going into the grooves of armor and his marks. One of those marks was important too, the one where he married Marie. Now, it was covered in his blood. _ “ _ ** _We_ ** _ didn’t ask for the Traveler to come to Earth, _ ** _we _ ** _ did not ask for the blessings it gave us. _ ** _We_ ** _ did not know what it was going to do, what it had planned. _ ** _We did not know!_ ** _ ” _ Sullivan’s Light sparked, but nothing else. The cover of Darkness taking effect. _ “Now, where is my Ghost?” _

Skilik snarled before grabbing Sullivan’s face roughly, _ “Your kind took it away from us and for that, your entire species will perish!” _ he screamed.

_ “What would Evilys think of us now, hmm?” _ Sullivan said through the hold he was in. _ “Would she want us to stop? Continue? Or try to save us both?” _ Sullivan felt the grip become tighter, threatening to push him back into the black.

_ “She is dead, what would it matter?” _ Skilik asked, his tone deadly, and full of venom.

_ “She is dead, because of _ ** _you_ ** _ . _ ** _You_ ** _ lead the attack on them. _ ** _You _ ** _ let them kill her. _ ** _You _ ** _ let them _ ** _suffer!_ ** _ It matters because I saw only the grief and despair of losing her. You are not alone on this, but taking it out on the City of people, who most of which did not even exist eighty or so years ago, is that the right thing to do? Now, I’ll ask again, where is CJ?” _

On cue, “Sullivan!” CJ was brought in with a cage surrounding him. “Thank the Traveler you’re alive!”

Sullivan managed a smile, but that smile told CJ what was probably going to happen. Immediately the mood dampened, “So, this is how it’s going to be? _ Doesn’t want to fight, instead, he is killing like a coward.” _

Skilik got mad and looked at the puny Ghost, _ “Are you not worried about your well-being?” _

_ “Skilik, I’ve lived for almost a hundred years, there was a time after House Angel was killed that I wanted to join them. I could not make that choice and I especially could not make **that** choice. There was no part of me that wanted to kill CJ, even if I was forced. CJ understands that if I am not going to kill him, then someone else will.” _ Sullivan takes a raspy breath, his eyes closing because of the sustained injuries and potential internal damage. _ “If I’m dying today, then do us both a favor and get it over with.” _

Skilik looked at both the Ghost and Guardian, a bond that these two share, something irreplaceable. Would Skilik be that heartless and take it away from them. Yes, he did help get Angel wiped off the map, but Sullivan? The little human who did nothing to him and accepted him as an uncle of some sort? Could he really do it to him? Could he end the life of the child he ended up watching for hours and hours on end while Evilys was busy with house affairs with her mother? The longer the Kell looked at the child, the more his heart broke. CJ saw the change an opted to say nothing. Is it worth the trouble?

Skilik had heard from the Eliknsi grapevine that Sullivan had married a girl from his past, the girl that Skilik held hostage at one point, the love he had for her when he left them alone was enough to make him question his motives, but not enough to deter him from his plan. Seeing him like this, he expected a fight. Not _ this _. Not someone who wants to deal with this kind of baggage. Sullivan had thought it would have been left behind him, but he should have expected it.

Skilik said nothing more and took the full situation in. Could he really permanently kill the kid he knew for two decades? Skilik raised his blade and Sullivan looked right into the eyes of Skilik, he was unwavering in his defiance till the end. The blade came down and CJ screamed in fear.

Sullivan did not feel the life leave him, he blinked and again and then the second swing came and his arms were at his sides. Sullivan looked up to see Skilik unlocking the cage holding CJ. CJ immediately flew over to Sullivan healing him and then smothering him in Ghostly affection. Again, Sullivan asked, _ “Why?” _

Skilik seemed taken back by the sudden question but responded in _ English _ , “Because I do not wish to be the one who ends your life. I have known you for years and I cannot bring myself to harm you. Go, and take care of the rest of the attackers. I will draw my House back,” Then he switched back to Eliknsi, _ “House Angel lives on in you, little Sullivan. Show them that it means the Angel of Death.” _

Before Sullivan could respond, Skilik transmatted to his Ketch and left the Guardian alone. Sullivan let CJ get the kinks out of his muscles and tried to contact Marie. It was fuzzy but managed to tell her that he is ok. Sullivan groaned in protest, but his Light warmed him up and prepared him for battle. He opted for Void this time and he let it go. His instincts on high, Light and weapons at the ready, he limped over to the door and kicked it open. The battle was in full force. Explosions everywhere, Sullivan could see the City walls and all of the muzzle flashes from the guns of Guardians. He saw the Light of the Guardians being used, Golden Guns, Nova Bombs, _ Hammers _.

The Sunbreakers are here? Last Sullivan ever heard from them, they exiled themselves to Mercury after Zavala became Vanguard Commander. Soon as Sullivan got his footing a cold feeling washed over him. Sullivan heard a shot and then a bullet whizzed by his head. Except it was not a bullet, it was a _ thorn _ which means… “What are you doing out here, child?

That voice, that gun, and the cold feeling. It can only be, “Dregen Yor. What are you doing here?” Sullivan does not feel fear like normal Guardians, but the Light-devouring gun he is holding. _ That _sends ice right through his veins. His appearance is in cracked Titan armor, the color pitch black, the helmet has two eye holes and Sullivan could feel the death rolling off him in waves.

“The City needed my help. I cannot feed Thorn if there is no Light to feed on. To answer your next question, no I’m not here to kill you. Yet, you are an interesting Guardian. The Fallen are just beyond the hill, _ Sullivan _,” the former froze. Then again, Yor knows literally every Guardian.

Yor walked past Sullivan and put a hand on his shoulder, “Don’t overdo it, young one,” and then he was gone. Sullivan shrugged it off, but could not help but look over his shoulder to make sure Yor is not pranking him and he gets a thorn to the chest.

Over the hill, just as Yor said, was the Fallen. They didn’t notice him and Sullivan let his Void Light flare. He went invisible and let his blades fly. The Fallen had taken a noticeable decline in numbers as Sullivan went on his frenzy. All the Fallen saw was a violet blob just running around and killing them. They tried to shoot it but ended up dying themselves. 

Guardians on the Tower wall noticed it and almost opened fired until Marie told them to stand down, and give covering fire. They started to shoot targets that weren’t in a fifteen-meter radius of the blob. Marie knew it was Sullivan taking out his rage. She has seen his Light and what it can do, but he is overextending it, if he continues, Light Exhaustion could put him in a coma, which is hard to come back from.

What none of the other Guardians saw, a Walker ended up on the ridge above Sullivan. With no light saying where the shot was going, the shot fired and landed next to Sullivan. The latter flew through the air, rag dolling before rolling to a stop, one hundred feet from the blast area. Sullivan’s eyes drooped and before he went out he said, in English, _ “I think I overdid it.” _

Time seemed to stop for Marie as she screamed as loud as possible, over the sound of gunfire, **“SULLIVAN!”**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the support on this story! I'm glad you all liked it.
> 
> Until next time!
> 
> -Horus


	17. Epilogue

The battle ended soon after in a victory, but for Marie, she was devastated. She ran through hell and back just to make it to Sullivan’s body. She collapsed right there, cradling his head. “CJ! Please tell me he isn’t dead. Please tell me that my husband hasn’t moved on! Please!” she begged.

CJ was slightly out of it, the blast jarred him a little, no physical damage, but he felt the explosion. CJ took a scan of his body, “No, no, no, no,” it muttered. “I was supposed to protect him, and I failed him.”

“What?! Is he-?”

“No! He isn’t, but he is knocking on Death’s door for the final time. He went into Light Exhaustion and even from here, the case is severe. He needs medical attention, _now._ _I won’t lose him like this, not after everything we have been through,”_ CJ said only looking at Sullivan’s body.

“Can you tell me what’s injured? Better yet, can’t you heal him?!” Marie was becoming furious. She wanted answers as to why CJ is not doing his job and healing him. Her husband could be dead by the time someone else got here.

“Do you know the extent of Light Exhaustion, Guardian Maire?!” CJ yelled. “Do you know what I  _ can’t _ do when a Guardian hits this stage?! Have you ever heard of the saying, ‘Too much of a good thing?’, hmmm?” CJ’s shell was twisting in fury. “If I use Light to heal him, then his very soul could slip between the veil of life and death  **permanently** . Do you understand? I  _ want _ to heal him, but I  _ can’t _ without risking his very life. I can’t do that to him,  _ or _ to you!” CJ was completely at a loss. Its first instinct to an injured Guardian is to heal them, and it can’t do that, so it makes CJ feel useless.

“You mean…”

“Yes, even Via can confirm it for you. I can’t do a thing, except letting his natural healing kick in. Right now, we need to get back to the Tower. It is not going to be a good thing if he doesn’t get back there in time,” CJ said firmly, but everyone present knew that he was just as fearful.

A Titan came down from the wall, noticing the commotion, female judging by the armor fitting. Her voice was a tad higher but full of concern, “What happened?”

CJ answered, “Light Exhaustion, severe, medical attention needed, but Guardian Marie may not be able to carry him.”

She replied, “May I? I won’t let a Guardian sit out here. If you would like, Guardian,” she said looking at Marie, “I could carry you on my back while I carry him.”

Marie only nodded, not trusting her words after the news she just received. Who is she? Via asked the question for her, “Who are you? Your ID is masked, so how can we trust you?”

The Titan let out a little laugh, “Trust me, it’s better because my Light is varied from yours. I’m still a Guardian with no connections to the Darkness, that and my Husband is my Hunter, and my sister-in-law is the Warlock.” She pointed a thumb on top of the wall and there stood a Warlock and Hunter. The Hunter was hugging the Warlock like siblings would hug. “So, are you going to question me some more or do you want me to help you?”

The smell of the battlefield stung each one of their noses, the smell of rounds fired, plasma shot, and the scorching earth made everyone else’s noses shrivel up in disgust. Marie carefully laid Sullivan’s head down and carefully climbed on the Titan’s back, her armor even had hand grips. Marie’s legs wrapped around the Titan’s waist as she lifted up Sullivan’s body and cradled it. The Titan’s Ghost spoke silently, but Marie heard, “You know the chances he will make it?”

“I do Skips, but now isn’t the time to talk about it. I just know he’s  _ lucky _ to still be breathing. Medevac will be here when we reach the wall. I just don’t want him to go. He’s so little.” The tone of the Titan wasn’t pitying, it was in admiration.

“I know about these two, they are actually married. The marks on them represent how long they have been alive. Some have more meaning than others, but he isn’t young and neither is she,” the Ghost, Skips, replied.

Marie was starting to doze off and her grip faltered and she tightened it, “I’ll have Steph carry you so you can rest okay, little one?” the Titan said to Marie.

Another voice came into Marie’s hearing and she was just so stressed that her body wanted to nap for a bit. “Steph, come on, take the one off my back while I rush this one to the med bay.”

Hands encased under Marie’s arms and then she was put on a soft material, Warlock robes presumably. Marie let out a yawn and unconsciously snuggled into the feeling. “Amira, you didn’t tell me she was a snuggler, how am I going to let her go?” Her voice was full of wonder and apprehension. But her voice was also calming, forcing Marie’s eyes to flutter.

A third deeper voice came in, not as deep as a Human’s, it was almost inbetween., “Sis, I didn’t think it was even possible for you to hold her, but follow Amira, I’ll assume she doesn’t want to be separated from her husband.”

“Klein, you very well know I wasn’t going to let that happen. Go report into Zavala, he is going to want to know what happened,” the Warlock, Steph, said. She heard the footsteps retreat and Steph whispered, “He’ll pull through, from what I’ve heard, he’s strong, don’t you worry little one.” With that, Marie’s eyes fluttered closed and the sound of soft breathing overtook her.

* * *

Marie woke up in the hospital and she racked her brain trying to piece it together. “Via!” The Ghost appeared. “What happened? How long was I out?”

“Relax, Guardian. You were only out for a day, the stress took a lot more of a toll on you because your body didn’t handle the stress well,” Via replied.

A day? What happened? “Is Sullivan okay?” Via didn’t answer right away. “Via, what is happening?”

“Sullivan is in a coma, and the doctors don’t know if he will come out of it. The first twenty-four hours of a coma are crucial. Nothing major happened, but the severity of his Exhaustion made it worse. It could be weeks, months, possibly even a  _ year _ until he wakes up. If he doesn’t then…”

“No… No, you can’t do that! He’ll make it! I have faith he will!” Marie cried. She slumped on her hospital bed and cried. The door opened and three Guardians walked in. One of them was recognizable, the Titan, “You…”

“Hello, glad to see you awake. We never got formal introductions, I’m Amira,” the Titan said. She had purple hair and her eyes looked pretty. Her skin was different but beautiful

The next one was the Warlock, “I’m Stephanie, also the one who brought you here so that the medics could check you over. You’ve been through quite a lot,” her wild blue hair thrown in a swirl, her skin also an exquisite blue.

The last one waved, “Name’s Klein, the husband to this one,” his hand went to the Titan’s hair, “and brother to this one,” the other to the Warlock’s hair. Both women eyed each other and then slapped Klein’s chest, “Ow, okay, tough love it is then.”

Marie giggled, something that she needed. “Anyway,” Stephanie said, “we are free to leave this place, but if you would like, you could go see your husband,” her voice was soft, calm caring, and something Marie could listen to forever.

“I would like that, can we go now?” Marie asked, her body language betraying her excitement. She wanted to make sure that he was okay for now.

The walk to the room was short, and when she entered the room, her eyes darted everywhere, the machines, the constant beeping. CJ was there looking on dejected. “CJ.” Marie’s voice cracked. The three behind her slipped out, going to finish up reporting the battle.

“Hello, Marie, Via. He hasn’t changed from yesterday. There isn’t much we can do, except wait,” CJ wasn’t chipper.

“Are you giving up on him?” Marie asked.

CJ’s optic whirled towards Marie,  _ “Never! I would never give up on him, I refuse to! If he goes, then I am going to. I refuse to live without my other half.” _

Marie raised an eyebrow, “Then pretend he is fine, not in a coma, and your mood will increase. I know pretending won’t do much for him, but it is something to keep your mind off of him. Now come on, I’m hungry and I don’t want you depressed.”

* * *

Months went by, almost nearing in a year. Sullivan still hasn’t woken up, and there has been talk that they would let him pass and those talks have almost made Marie lash out at the Guardians responsible. Via and surprisingly CJ have been tagging along with her. They check on him almost weekly, no change.

Marie had talked to the three Guardians that were at the battle dubbed, ‘Battle of Six Fronts’, and found out they are Awoken, much like Commander Zavala. They also have some unique abilities as well, but that’s another story.

CJ, during a walk through the City, stopped in his tracks, his shell twisting. Via was the first to notice, “CJ, what’s wrong?”

“It’s Sullivan… I think he… he’s going to be alright!” Marie was about to ask CJ why but it continued, “my bond with him was weak and now it is starting to come back. I can feel his soul intertwining with mine. My Guardian is back! Come on we got to get to the ICU!” Via transmatted Marie and CJ went right to his room.

Marie burst through the door to see CJ snuggling into its Guardian’s chest,  _ “I missed you, I felt so broken without you. Marie and Via kept me grounded. Please do not ever do that again!” _

The sound of Sullivan’s throaty chuckle filled the air, “I would never leave you, my little Ghost.” He looked over and his eyes filled with tears, “Marie…”

She leaned over the bed and kissed him, showing him that she never let her love deteriorate for him, even after all these months. Then she hit him in the chest, “Ow, easy, I’m a recovering patient.”

“That’s for going into a coma, you ass,” Marie grumbled. “I’m just happy that my Little Guardian has finally gotten out of his slump. We have a lot of catching up to do, Sullivan.”

“Is that a promise?”

“I promise.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that is the end of Little Sullivan's story. You may have recognized some other characters of mine. Self-indulgent I know, but I had to. Whether or not I chose to make it canon in that story, I dunno.
> 
> Anyway, I have another story in progress. If you could give it a chance, it could be beyond your expectations. Then again, breaking reality is one of my things to do when it comes to Vex.
> 
> Thank you all for the support on this Story! It means a lot to me!
> 
> From the author,  
SoulofHorus


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